Vernon Broughton is the Saints' first true connection to former college coach on staff
Vernon Broughton is the Saints' first true connection to former college coach on staff
The New Orleans Saints used their first third round pick to select Vernon Broughton. Broughton was the first defensive player drafted and the first piece of true connective tissue to the new coaching staff. First round pick Kelvin Banks Jr. also played at Texas, but where Broughton stands apart is he played for a coach on staff.
When filling out the defensive coaching staff, the Saints brought in a number of former collegiate coaches under Brandon Staley. Two of those coaches, Bo Davis and Terry Joseph, have Texas ties. Davis joined the Saints from LSU, but he spent the previous three seasons as the Texas defensive line coach. All three of those seasons were spent coaching the defensive tackle directly. It wouldn't be surprising if Davis pounded the table for Broughton.
With the history between the two it was befitting that Davis was the one who called Broughton to let him know the Saints were drafting him. "What's up 'Chicken Legs'," Davis affectionately greeted him.
What is noteworthy is Broughton had his best season when Davis left for LSU. After 2.5 career sacks, the tackle racked up 4 sacks in 2024. He also recovered a few fumbles in addition to his 5 tackles for a loss. This uptick in production likely had to do with the road finally being cleared for Broughton to play. Texas produced Broughton and Alfred Collins in this year's NFL draft and Byron Murphy and T'Vondre Sweat the year prior. The team was stacked on the interior. Broughton had to wait his turn and took advantage when the opportunity arose.
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