Saints hosted productive Louisville safety Quincy Riley

By Ross Jackson

Pre-draft visits continue for the New Orleans Saints, this time with an eye on the secondary. The team has seen the departure of both of its starting cornerbacks since the 2024 trade deadline. Marshon Lattimore, drafted in 2017, was shipped off to the Washington Commanders at the deadline last year, while Paulson Adebo signed with the New York Giants this offseason.

Despite the offseason return of cornerback Isaac Yiadom, both departures still have many expecting the Saints to select a corner in this year’s NFL Draft. Recent visits further the expectation.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints hosted Louisville cornerback Quincy Riley. New Orleans also held a top-30 visit with East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel earlier in the offseason, the team’s first reported visit of the draft class.

HE’S BACK!

Quincy Riley, one of the best cornerbacks in the ACC, is returning to Louisville for one more season🔥 pic.twitter.com/5btn9zYZhL

— Dalton Pence (@dpence_) January 12, 2024

Riley though, unlike Revel, isn’t expected to be an early selection in this year’s draft. Riley falls more in the middle rounds of 3-5 in most of his projections. But that’s only after a small downturn in production in 2024, which followed stellar performances in 2022 and 2023.

Measurements

• Height: 5-foot-11
• Weight: 194 pounds
• Hand size: 8.5 inches
• Arm length: 31 inches

In 2022, Riley surrendered a passer rating of just 23.4 when targeted, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). In 2023, he turned in another terrific performance, forcing a 37.2 passer rating. However, last year that number shot up to 73, though he allowed only a 47.7% completion rate when passes were thrown his way. 

He was also a standout at the Senior Bowl and likely drew the attention of Saints defensive backs coach Grady Brown, who was also present for Louisville’s pro day this year. Brown and Louisville have a long-standing relationship as he coached the Cardinals secondary in 2018.

His eight interceptions and whopping 27 passes defended since 2022 show great ball production to match his potential ceiling. He also has decent closing speed with his 4.47-second 40 yard dash.

Should the Saints look to invest in a later-round corner with promising production, traits and size, Riley could make a lot of sense.

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