EDGE Fadil Diggs represents evolving Saints defense
05/08/2025
By Ross Jackson
Not a lot of seventh-round picks get fanfare, let alone high expectations, but one of the New Orleans Saints pair of seventh-rounders may change that.
Syracuse edge rusher Fadil Diggs represents the changing tides in New Orleans this offseason. The 6-foot-4, 257 pound pass rusher with 4.57 second speed is a departure from the Saints’ usual prototype at the position and his role will further distance him from defensive ends of the past in the Big Easy.
Diggs is a quintessential stand-up pass rusher. He has remarkable speed and bend around the edge and runs the arc with great efficiency to get after the opposing quarterback. In defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s new scheme, he’s a perfect fit.
He’s an attacking, speedy, and athletic edge presence similar to former Staley players like Leonard Floyd and Samson Ebukam. He finished his college career with 15.5 sacks and 33 tackles for a loss.
Syracuse EDGE Fadil Diggs (#10) ran a 4.57 40 at 257 lbs and his tape has flashes as well. Probably just a sitautional pass rusher at the NFL Level but I’ll take that on day 3 pic.twitter.com/RGfd3O75WF
— Chicago Football Connection (@CFCBears) February 27, 2025
On top of it all, he’s also a three-time captain who has competed and succeeded in both the ACC and SEC, as he was formerly with Texas A&M before transferring and following a pair of coaches with whom he shared meaningful relationships.
Syracuse head football coach Fran Brown and Diggs went back to his seventh-grade days as he was being recruited. The other coach, Elijah Robinson, helped bring the edge rusher from Texas A&M to Syracuse.
Robinson, a rising star in collegiate coaching, was the interim head coach for the Aggies, departing after a new coach was hired. Prior to his interim days, he was the defensive line coach, co-defensive coordinator, and assistant head coach at Texas A&M. When he landed as the Syracuse assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, Diggs followed suit.
.@fadil_diggs 💨💨💨#NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/fq0BUHlPfJ
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) February 28, 2025
ESPN”s Jeremy Fowler picked up information from anonymous NFL team sources including scouts, personnel staffers, and executives following the NFL Draft. One of the players he received great feedback on was Diggs, due in part to his being coached by Robinson.
“(Diggs) has the Elijah Robinson stamp of approval,” Fowler wrote. “Robinson, a former Texas A&M defensive line coach and now Syracuse defensive coordinator, has developed a serious pipeline of NFL talent. While at A&M, he recruited Walter Nolen, Shemar Stewart and Shemar Turner, all of whom were selected in the first two rounds of the draft.”
With that type of coaching and development in his back pocket and a focus EDGE coach in New Orleans, Jay Rodgers, Diggs should have the building blocks he needs to outperform his draft position.
Look for the speedy pass rusher to make a mark with his leadership experience and to be a stand-up rusher in Staley’s scheme, ushering in the new look of the defense.