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New Orleans Saints Host USC Running Back For Top-30 NFL Draft Visit

The Saints brought in USC running back MarShawn Lloyd for an official Top-30 draft visit.
John Hendrix|
Oct 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back MarShawn Lloyd
Oct 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back MarShawn Lloyd | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are busy enough during this time year, focusing heavily on the NFL Draft and trying to figure out what they'll do at the end of the month. They'll go through countless mock simulations and scenarios, but a major part of the process are Top-30 visits. One prospect that visited recently is USC Trojans running back MarShawn Lloyd, a source confirmed to Saints News Network.

The Saints have until Apr. 17 to bring draft-eligible players to their facility for a physical examination. These do mean something, as they actually selected two players (Kendre Miller and Jordan Howden) from the Top-30 process last year.

NFL Network's Lance Zierlein compares Lloyd to Jerick McKinnon. Lloyd projects as a 3rd or 4th Round pick.

"Lloyd's flashes on tape could lead a team to envision a more expansive role for him in its offense, but based on his play, he feels more like a good complementary option with big-play potential. Frankly, some of his South Carolina tape from 2022 felt more exciting than his 2023 USC film, despite the higher yardage-per-carry mark in 2023. While he ran with improved patience and set up blockers more diligently in '23, he ran with a greater sense of urgency the year prior and proved he could create explosive plays without as much help from his offensive line. Lloyd runs with slightly below-average vision but has the juice to play the role of "chunk-play slasher" and dangerous open-field pass catcher. Lloyd is a low-mileage prospect, and the scope of his role will obviously depend on scheme fit."

Running back may not seem like a need on the surface for New Orleans, but could honestly make sense. The Saints are expected to have Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams as a part of their new-look offense under Klint Kubiak, but second-year back Kendre Miller should also get some more work in.

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net

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