Saints target “Right DNA” at Senior Bowl, says Thomas

By Ross Jackson

The New Orleans Saints will be well-represented at this year’s Panini Senior Bowl game. The team will have seven staff members on the all-star game’s American Team coaching staff. 

One of them, Saints’ associate head coach and running backs coach Joel Thomas, will be the head coach for the American Team. Before getting on to the practice field, Thomas stopped by 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge’s Off The Bench for an exclusive interview on-site in Mobile, Ala. 

During the conversation, he spoke about his long-time connection to outgoing LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the process of coaching and working with prospects at the Senior Bowl and what it is that he and the Saints will be looking for when it comes to those prospects throughout the week.

“(We’re) trying to find the right DNA, the right fit,” Thomas said. “Obviously, the athletic talents, that’s the stuff we watch on film and evaluate. But you don’t get that all the time on film as far as the grit, the pit bull mentality. Do they love football? We’ve all been around guys that are great at football. They like football. So, we’ve got to find the ones that love it. They’re willing to do everything they can possibly to go help us win games and make the Saints better. And if we can come away from this evaluation and find guys that are going to make us better, we win.”

The sentiments match what has long been the Saints’ core objective when adding talent to the roster. It’s all about finding the right fit, not just on the field but in the locker room, film room and often in the community.

The Senior Bowl presents a brief opportunity to get a look at each player from those perspectives. Even though Thomas and several members of the Saints’ coaching staff will be working with the American Team, just about every prospect, regardless of team, also meets with NFL clubs in meetings.

“(The meeting time) is close to 20 minutes,” Thomas said. “It’s a little more than speed dating. For myself as a coach, if I’m not coaching this game, it’s my first interaction with the player. So, what’s this guy about what? … It’s a great opening exposure for the players. And obviously, we’re always trying to find that nugget, the one answer, or something that’s going to put them over the top. Or, it’s going to separate themselves from somebody else, to ‘Hey, maybe we need to go another direction.’”

Thomas highlighted that during these meetings, he likes to use tape to test the players and see what their knowledge of the game looks like. 

Everything from linebacker alignments and fronts to flipping formations and calling out protections, it’s all valuable information to try to gather during what will be an intensive but educational week in Mobile.

Last year, New Orleans drafted five players that participated in the Senior Bowl. One of them, quarterback Tyler Shough, was coached by a former Saints offensive assistant, Jordan Traylor. This year, New Orleans is likely to leave the all-star game with more names placed highly on their draft boards, especially with the vital insight Thomas and his Senior Bowl coaching staff will be able to obtain.