Stephone Anthony to the New Orleans Saints: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

After selecting offensive tackle Andrus Peat with their first pick, the New Orleans Saints addressed a major area of need with their second selection of the draft, as they snatched Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony.

An All-ACC first-teamer, Anthony was also a Butkus Award semifinalist in 2014. He was named to the Senior Bowl after a successful season in which he racked up 75 tackles, with 10.5 of them going for a loss.

In Anthony, the Saints get an athletic inside ‘backer with size who can cover lots of ground. The 6’3,” 243-pounder can run down backs and receivers from sideline-to-sideline, and he’s a strong, reliable tackler who very rarely lets ball-carriers elude his grasp.

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In addition, he diagnoses plays quickly, and he’s a capable pass defender, which is something the Saints have been missing at this position for the last several years. He’s also an excellent blitzer, which should have blitz-happy defensive coordinator Rob Ryan bubbling over with excitement.

Of all his positive attributes, Anthony’s greatest is probably his speed. He moves extremely well for a thumping inside linebacker, and he thoroughly impressed scouts with his 4.56 40-yard-dash time at the combine.

To top it all off, the Polkton, NC native possesses strong leadership qualities. He was voted team captain at Clemson, and such a player, even though a rookie, should be warmly welcomed in New Orleans.

As for areas in need of improvement, there aren’t very many, but one is that he doesn’t shed blocks like he should. He also has a tendency to over-pursue at times, although aggression isn’t exactly a detestable trait in a linebacker.

In New Orleans, Anthony should be an immediate contributor in Ryan’s defense. The Saints released three-year starter Curtis Lofton at the beginning of free agency, thus creating a need for a primary run-stopper at the second level of the defense.

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Following Lofton’s departure, the popular theory was that David Hawthorne would move into the starting spot vacated by Lofton—the "Mike" linebacker position—and that the Saints would draft another inside ‘backer to play alongside Hawthorne, at least in 2015. That may not be the case, though.

According to Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com, Saints coach Sean Payton said Anthony was probably best suited to play Mike linebacker.

While it’s not an absolute certainty that he'll come in and immediately wrestle the position away from an eight-year veteran in Hawthorne, it's probably just a matter of time.

After all, New Orleans acquired versatile inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe in a trade with the Miami Dolphins this offseason. With Ellerbe and Anthony locking up the two inside ‘backer spots manned by Lofton and Hawthorne just a year ago, New Orleans will have improved the second level of its defense in a big way with regard to speed and coverage ability.

What is certain, however, is that by selecting Anthony, New Orleans addressed a glaring weakness on the defensive side of the ball. By snagging the former Tiger standout, the Saints defense upgraded in terms of overall athleticism, and New Orleans thereby took another step toward returning to the ranks of playoff-contending teams in 2015.