NFL Draft: Who was the worst Saints pick under Sean Payton?

For every gem you find like Alvin Kamara, there's bound to be at least two or three busts to go right alongside your NFL draft history. The New Orleans Saints have had their fair share of booms and busts since Sean Payton arrived on scene in 2006, and we got our Saints News Network writers together to weigh in on their personal favorite for the worst pick in that timeframe.

Kyle Mosley - Antonio Pittman

Antonio Pittman came out of Ohio State heralded as one of the top running backs in the 2007 NFL Draft after forgoing his senior season. Many thought Pittman was a steal for New Orleans. He dropped to the Saints at No. 107 in the 4th Round of the draft. Pittman probably thought the same about himself. New Orleans already had Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush in the backfield, but never imagined he would have been “outplayed” by an undrafted rookie named Pierre Thomas.

Early in the preseason, Pittman’s effort was not on the par with Thomas’ performances. In the last preseason game against the Miami Dolphins in the Superdome, Antonio Pittman’s fate with New Orleans was sealed. Saints fans instantly grew fond of Pierre Thomas’ tenacity and Sean Payton could not deny him a roster spot. Pittman did not make the Saints final cut and played in just three NFL games for his career.

Bob Rose - Garrett Grayson

Realizing that most are going with Jean-Baptiste, and plenty of reasons why they're justified, it's Garrett Grayson. Grayson is the pick because of how disturbing it was that the scouting department swung and missed so badly on a quarterback with literally zero NFL attributes and used a 3rd Round pick that could have been used to help a historically bad defense. The worst 1st Round pick by Payton is Patrick Robinson, hands down.

Mike Detillier - Stanley Jean-Baptiste

The Saints selected him in Round 2 as the 58th overall pick in 2014. Stanley Jean-Baptiste was a project player being a former wide receiver. learning the cornerback slot, but the scouting department loved his size, athleticism and great length. Sean Payton really had eyed LSU halfback Jeremy Hill, but the Chicago Bears selected him a couple of picks before the Saints selected the former Nebraska cornerback.

In 2014, he played in four games with zero starts. Had a difficult time during the 2015 training camp and just was beat regularly in preseason games in 2015. He was released after the final 2015 preseason game. Four games, zero starts for a 2nd round pick. The Saints passed on wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Allen Robinson, offensive guard Trai Turner and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to select Jean-Baptiste.

Brendan Boylan - Stanley Jean-Baptiste

Coming out of college, Jean-Baptise drew comparisons to NFL Pro-Bowler Richard Sherman for his height and speed, along with his ability to play multiple spots in the defensive backfield. In his senior season at Nebraska, he earned 2nd team All-conference honors and an invitation to the Senior Bowl with 12 pass break ups and 4 interceptions.

Sean Payton selected the converted wide-out to cornerback in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 58th overall selection. Jean-Baptiste played in four games a rookie, primarily on special teams before being cut 2 days after the Saints final preseason game in 2015. After playing for five teams since being released by New Orleans, the former second-round pick signed a three-year deal with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in January 2020.

There's a few schools of thought on draft picks. If you're drafted in the first two rounds, you're expected to be an impact player or stellar starter. Players like Charles Brown, Hau'oli Kikaha, Stephone Anthony, and Stanley Jean-Baptiste are all dishonorable mentions in this category. You can remember Anthony doing some things while with the Saints, although they weren't always great. He's also lasted longer in the league, for what that's worth, even earning a second stint with New Orleans. You can also remember Kikaha making a couple plays, but with both Kikaha and Anthony, perhaps someone not named Joe Vitt would likely have provided better growth for them. What I remember about Brown is that things go so bad that Sean Payton turned to rookie Terron Armstead in a crucial Panthers road game because of his play. The rest, they say, is history.

Asking the question on social media yielded some really fun and interesting responses. Saints fans won't soon forget the later round blunder like Khairi Fortt, Nick Toon, and Rick Leonard. For me, anything past the fourth round probably isn't totally fair to call a bust or the worst pick. Aside 2017 and 2018, the third round has been a big mixed bag for New Orleans. Garrett Grayson is one that probably takes the cake as being one of the worst picks the Saints have made, but Martez Wilson and Johnny Patrick from 2011's draft both were big misses.