Saints Third Round Draft Pick Has Intriguing Ties To New Orleans

Vernon Broughton has some interesting ties to the Saints.

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Vernon Broughton (45) celebrates a quarterback sack in the third quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 10, 2025. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints opted to use their first-round pick on Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. At the time, this seemed like a bit of a reach, but once you unpack the decision a bit more, it seems like the perfect pick for the Saints.

New Orleans didn't stop with their Texas prospects at Banks. Two rounds later, they drafted defensive tackle Vernon Broughton out of Texas. The two played together at Texas for three years.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell recently revealed there are more Texas connections for Broughton than Banks alone. In fact, there are closer connections than the two Texas teammates.

"The Texas ties are heavy this year with both new players and new coaches. The Saints have now selected two players from Texas this year, with Broughton joining Banks," Terrell wrote. "Saints defensive line coach Bo Davis is the main link here, having coached Broughton at Texas from 2021 to 2023. Defensive pass game coordinator Terry Joseph was also at Texas from 2021 to 2024."

The 23 year old defensive tackle comes to the Saints looking to bolster their aging defensive line. With his connections to defensive line coach Bo Davis and defensive pass game coordinator Terry Joseph, there's a good chance he's going to get to training camp and feel very comfortable.

It's pretty likely Coach Davis and Coach Joseph played a big part of getting Broughton to New Orleans. This isn't confirmed, but it would make sense for the pair of Texas alumni to vouch for a guy like Broughton.

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