HIDDEN GEM: New Orleans Saints Rookie Quincy Riley COULD START At Cornerback As 4th-Round Steal

HIDDEN GEM: New Orleans Saints Rookie Quincy Riley COULD START At Cornerback As 4th-Round Steal

In case you’re still wondering why the New Orleans Saints drafted Louisville corner Quincy Riley, it’s because he is exactly what they needed. We got all that and a little bit of land yet for you on today’s episode of Locked On Saints. You are Locked On Saints, your daily New Orleans Saints podcast, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. What is good Hudet nation and Hudet family? I am your host, your friend Ross Jackson, New Orleans native, your New Orleans Saints expert and credentialed member of the media covering those New Orleans Saints as the Saints beat writer over at louisianaapasports.net. And on today’s episode of Locked on Saints, the New Orleans Saints 2025 NFL draft class has every opportunity to be another foundational draft class, laying that foundation for the future like we’ve seen in years past. And I want to take a look at Quincy Riley, the opportunity that he has ahead of him and what stands in his way. But I want to lead everything off with why he is a perfect fit for exactly what it is that the New Orleans Saints needed in 2025. We got that coming up for you on today’s episode. We appreciate you very much whether it’s your first time or your next time being here with us this time, making us your first listen and being an everyday here on the show, which is a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day. Hey, today’s episode brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel, where you can get $150 in bonus bets if you win your first $5 bet. Just head over to FanDuel.com to get started today. Louisville corner Quincy Riley, fourthround draft pick for the New Orleans Saints, is exactly the type of player that the New Orleans Saints needed, and he checks three major boxes for this defense. Number one, helps out a ton in the run game. Number two, he is productive as a ball hawking player. And number three, he knows exactly what to do when he gets the ball in his hands. I think all three of those things could put Quincy Riley in line to be an impact player early on in his career, potentially even his rookie season. And you remember I’ve said something similar about Danny Stzman, the linebacker drafted out of Oklahoma in the fourth round. I think the Saints absolutely nailed the fourth round of this year’s draft getting Danny Stsman and Quincy Riley. The hype around Quincy Riley has kind of settled down a little bit. It’s kind of slowed down a bit because throughout rookie mini camp, OTAAS, and mandatory mini camp, he was recovering and rehabbing from a post-draft sort of surgery or procedure rather that he had to go through. But by the end of mandatory mini camp or by the second day of mandatory mini camp which turned out to be the last day of mandatory mini camp, he was out there participating in team drills for the first time or seven on sevens, nine on sevens for the first time. And so I think that we’ll get our opportunity to see a lot more from him once training camp rolls along. But those three elements that I mentioned are parts of the reasons why I think the Saints were so excited to see him on the board at number 131 overall. our guy Damen Parson from over at the Locked on NFL Draft Podcast on their kind of cumulative big board over there. Uh Quincy Riley was a top 100 player for them. Uh Dane Bugler has him as the 11th corner, had him as the 11th corner in his class. But I’ll tell you where he’s number one and what matters the most is his interceptions, which are 15 in his career, the most of any corner in that draft class. and his passes defense, which was second since 2023 with 23 forced incompletions. These This is all about ball production for uh Quincy Riley. Somebody that can go up there uh that’s got good fundamentals and good technique, knows how to put a stab in a chest at some point to force a a wide receiver to lose their momentum and then effectively run their route for them. If you got the opportunity to see him during the NFL combine, you saw him run the gauntlet drill to almost perfection, especially for a corner. A lot of guys talk about how corners play corner because they can’t catch. This is not an issue for Quincy Riley. And he’s also not afraid to get involved in the run game. He’s active. He is somebody that absolutely has a does a good job of reading play flow and attacking based on that, understanding what’s developing out in front of him. there’s several different, you know, screen passes that were developing in front of him that he clicked and closed on quickly. He gets involved in the run game, all of these extra pieces. And so, I think all of that molded together helps the Saints in some big categories, right? This is a team that’s trying to get better as a run defense. This is a team that did not take the ball away adequately at the end of the season. 11 takeaways over the course of the first nine games, only three through the following eight games of the year. and you’re missing a little bit of what you used to get from this New Orleans Saints defense to where it was always exciting once one of these players got the ball in their hands. What might they do with it? All of these other pieces. And I think that that’s another area where Quincy Riley is a differencemaker. Not only is he somebody that has a ball hawking mentality that has a high level of production as a ball hawking corner or defensive back, but he knows what to do with the ball in his hands as well. He finished his career in the FBS with 400 plus return yards on interceptions and no other corner in the FBS had more than 245. This is a guy that absolutely can house a an interception once he gets the ball in his hands all these other bits. And so I think that that’s another thing that should have you a little bit excited about what Quincy Riley could do for this New Orleans Saints team. This is a team that finished 31st in the NFL in run defense. I laid out the takeaway numbers where they struggled and all of a sudden you get a guy like Quincy Riley that immediately helps you out in a lot of those areas and ends up bringing you some immediate production in all of those areas as well. All while being a guy that you can keep on the field because of the fact that he can go out there and tackle and do so solidly and reliably and bring all of that in. Uh 23 forcing completions since 2023. That was a number from Pro Football Focus. Excellent stuff there. I mean, you just know this guy brings a ton of production and ends up uh bringing you somebody bringing somebody into being somebody that comes into this New Orleans Saints defense ready to ball out. And I think the other thing that’s really important about him as well is the fact that he is somebody that is scheme versatile. He’s played some zone. He’s played some man. He’s played uh games where he’s had to transition from man to zone or from zone to man more likely and all these other bits. And so he has the experience to line up in Brandon Staley’s defense and get an understanding of it. He’s also got uh you know a word that I heard that described him the other day, gregarious. Uh just a really really great personality. Somebody that’s good for your locker room. So he’s a good culture fit as well. I mean this guy just checks every box and it’s one of the reasons why I say that he is a perfect fit for what it is that the New Orleans Saints wanted and needed over on the defensive side of the football. Not only is he a good fit from a scheme perspective, not only is he a good fit from the perspective of going out there and being a differencemaker, somebody that can contribute to this defense, but fits in with what this sort of culture is that Kell Moore is bringing in. A lot of high character, clean character guys with great personalities that know how to put a team first and that are able to do that. Remember, Quincy Riley could have come out a year ago. He didn’t do that. He waited. He went back to Louisville for another year and then of course, you know, continued went back along with Tyler Shuck. Those two know each other well and started out at Middle Tennessee before that until he finally transferred over to Louisville. And so he is somebody that understands the idea of like team chemistry and being in a place more than just one year to raise your draft stock and then go into the NFL draft. That’s something that I think translates well to kind of the attitudes that Kell Moore as a New Orleans Saints new head coach that’s trying to establish this identity, that’s trying to establish this new future is going to take very seriously and is probably a part of what his evaluation was as well. And oh, by the way, he’s also a track athlete, too, which I do think is something that maybe Kell Moore isn’t looking for, but I do think goes to what it is that the Saints are interested in when it comes to his impact on the field. ran a 7.14 second 60 meter, a 10.89 second 100 meter, and then had a good time in the 200 meter as well. He capitalized on that by going into the NFL combine or running a 448. So, you know, he’s got good speed as well. Um, and you know, just comes in at 5’10, 194 lbs, maybe a little short, but this guy is incredibly incredibly competitive. He wants to go out there. He wants the ball. He wants to make plays. And remember, one of the big things that we’ve talked about mentality-wise that’s shifting for this New Orleans Saints defense is that everybody’s eyes are in the back field. And now this defensive back group feels like they can go out there and make more plays. Quincy Riley is a guy that will absolutely go out there and try to make more plays. And it might bite you sometimes, but when it works, it works. And I think when it works is exactly what it is that the New Orleans Saints need going into this defense. And all of that is to say that I do think that Quincy Riley still has a shot to potentially start as early as 2025. Let’s go over what it is that he has in front of him as far as opportunity and what stands in his way. We got that coming up for you next as we continue on with today’s episode of Locked on Saints, part of Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Today’s episode of Locked on Saints brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel, where you can get in on all of the action. When I say all of the action, I mean all of the action. Whether you’re rooting for your favorite baseball team, you’re checking out golf on the green, maybe you’re rooting for some soccer action as well, you know that you’re already in the game. You’re already ready. You’re already excited about what’s going on. So, why not make it even more exciting by heading over to fanduel.com today. They’re going to let you get on on odds, lines, props, but also same game parlays, and one of my favorite features, live betting as well. I love live betting. you feel like a team or a a player or something like that is having, you know, kind of falling back a little bit, but has the potential to turn things around and come back. It’s an absolutely great way to keep in on the action even after the first pitch in baseball or what have you. I absolutely love that part of it. And of course, new daily promotions give you all the different fun ways to bet as well. So, if you’re new to FanDuel, it’s a great time. New customers can bet just $5 for their first bet and get $150 in bonus bets if their first bet wins. Open up the FanDuel app today or head over to fanduel.com to get started. All right, family. The New Orleans Saints might have drafted a starting quarterback in the fourth round of this year’s NFL draft with Quincy Riley. The question now becomes not if, but when does he step into that starting role? I’m confident that Quincy Riley can be a starter in this New Orleans Saints defense, especially under the toutelage of guys like Grady Brown, as well as Terry Joseph, as well as Brandon Staley, and being able to fit in in all of those pieces and all of the coaching that’s going to be allotted to him, being able to capitalize on the things that he already does well as a takeaway artist, as a guy that knows what to do with the ball in his hands, and somebody that can tackle and get involved in run support. So, the big question around Quincy Riley becomes when does the opportunity present itself for him to become a starter in this New Orleans Saints defense? And I think right now it’s kind of an open question. There’s a chance that it happens in 2025. I I know that the Saints went out there and signed Isaac Adam and I’m probably a guy that’s a little bit higher on Isaac Adam than most people are, but that doesn’t necessarily the contract that they gave him, the deal that he has, all these other pieces, nothing really guarantees him that starting role opposite Kool-Aid McKinstry. And if Alante Taylor is going to be in the slot, at least in those three def those three cornerback, five defensive back snaps, there’s a chance that that spot opposite Kool-Aid McKenry is a spot that he gets a chance to battle for as he comes back to training camp. So, there’s an opportunity for him there. There’s also an opportunity for him in the slot. Let’s say that things don’t go well with Alante Taylor going back to the slot. Quincy Riley loves playing in that area of the game and I’m sure would vive for his opportunity to audition there under Brandon Staley. One of the reasons why he told us that he loves being able to play in the slot is because he likes being involved in every play and he feels like playing on the inside. He gets to be involved in everything. Whether it’s because he’s passing off somebody from one zone to the other or it’s because he’s crashing down and making a play on a slot receiver or a running back as a run defender or he’s rushing the passer. He feels like he’s always contributing something to the defense and so he loves playing in that area of the game. Now, I am without a doubt extremely confident that Alante Taylor is going to pan out in the slot. In fact, he’s one of the players that I think many are most excited to see under Brandon Staley and in Brandon Saley’s defensive scheme, especially with that star role. So, I think the real opportunity for Isa, excuse me, for Quincy Riley becomes that outside boundary corner opposite Kool-Aid McKenry. That’s going to be the big thing. Now, remember, you’re probably going to see two different corners that are going to be playing those roles. You might see Alante Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry on the outside in base reps, but then once they go into the nickel reps, you might see Alante Taylor bounce to the inside, take that slot position role, and then a different corner come out and bookend the defense along with Kool-Aid McKinstry. And that could be a spot that Quincy Riley absolutely could compete for. The Saints have not brought in any kind of veteran corners. There’s a market of veteran corners that are still out there. Uh there’s guys like, you know, Stefon Gilmore who the Saints were kind of loosely tied to via somebody saying like, “Oh, this would be a signing. That makes sense.” But that’s not the same as the Saints actually having interest. I can tell you that they don’t have interest in that, at least not right now. And of course, there’s still we’re still tracking things with Asante Samuel Jr. They brought him in for a visit. He’s got ties to Brandon Staley. who was a part of Brandon Staley’s first ever draft class as a head coach with the Chargers. And so there’s a little bit of a connection there. There’s the medical check that’s supposed to happen sometime this month and we’re already starting to see workout videos from Asante Samuel Jr. start to pop up on the internet and everything like that. And so we’ll see what the progress looks like when it comes to that area of it, the Asante Samuel Jr. piece of the conversation. But until another veteran is signed and shows up and is competing in this room, Quincy Riley’s opportunities right there ahead of him. And really the only player that’s in his way is Isaac Adam. And that’s a really, really good player. We talked about how he led the NFL two years ago playing in the New Orleans Saints defense. Dennis Allen’s New Orleans Saints defense. So a very, very different one, but led the NFL in forcing completion percentage amongst all corners that took at least 300 snaps, which were a lot of quarterbacks. It took over 300 snaps out in covered snaps in 2023. That’s a big thing. Like that’s a big, you know, kind of uh checking of the box for Isaac as somebody that can make plays at the catch point and that can be disruptive and that can get the ball out of receivers hands or keep the ball ever from getting to receivers hands. But I think the thing that Quincy Riley does better is that he takes the football away. It’s one thing to be able to make those plays at the catch point. There’s real value in that. We know that. We talk about that all the time. Pass breakups are major plays in the NFL and should be looked at as such. But interceptions and turnovers are an entirely different level of ball. And that is something that I think that Quincy Riley does probably better than either of the quarterbacks that are currently set to start on the outside right now. Whether that’s Kool-Aid McKinstry or Isaac Adam, neither of them have necessarily put together a stock or built stock for themselves based on their ability to take the football away. They’ve built stock based on their ability to be disruptive at the catch point. Quincy Riley is in a different class of type when it comes to corner because of his ability to take the football away. So, if he can translate that from his collegiate production to the NFL, I think that would be a major major benefit for him in the conversation of landing a starting role with the New Orleans Saints sooner rather than later. I think the other thing that’s going to potentially stand in his way is going to be learning Brandon Staley system. He has scheme versatility. Like we mentioned, he’s played man and zone in the past. And so sort of this unique blend of those two concepts in the sort of pattern matching zone match, Brandon Staley, Rip Lizishish, Nick Sabinish type of defense. Um, it’s still going to have a learning curve though and so there are elements of it that he’ll know. There are elements of it that will feel familiar, but there’s going to be learning curves around what the rules are. How are the rules different for Brandon Staley than they might be for a Sabbin or a Bellich or the other guys that run sort of these zone match Ripley type defenses? And do the and and can Quincy Riley get all of that quickly? Now, he’s an incredibly smart player. He is somebody that absolutely is a quick study and has shown that already with some of the production that we’ve already seen from his one day uh in mandatory mini camp when he didn’t really get targeted very much because he wasn’t allowing things to really get open. And so you’re already seeing a little bit of the benefit of that, but it’s different when you have to absorb an entire playbook, go out there and execute it, understand what your responsibilities are, what your roles are, and how they might change based upon if you are lined up over the guy that’s got an inb breaking out route versus an outbreaking route, right? Breaking towards the sideline would be an outbreaking route, breaking towards the middle of the field, being an inbreaking route. Those things are going to matter. And so his ability to be able to pick up the new defense, the language, all those other things, that’s going to be the other part about his leap from college to the NFL, that might test them and could be a hurdle, but it’s a more manageable hurdle, I think, than the physical competition of the players that are up ahead of them. So, we’ll see where things go and how quickly they progress for Quincy Riley. But, I do think that he’s a starting quarterback at some point during his rookie contract. And I still think that there’s a chance that he’s a starting quarterback as early as his rookie year because of all the things we highlighted. Able to have an impact in the run game. Ball hawking mentality, great personality, great culture fit, great locker room fit, and of course him being able to take the football away, not just be disruptive at the catch point. Quincy Riley is a part of a nine-man draft class that could be an absolute foundational draft class in terms of laying the foundation for the future. Let’s break that down a little bit because I do think there is some excitement to be had around the New Orleans Saints 2025 draft class. We’ll get to that next. We continue on with today’s episode of Locked on Saints. Put a locked on podcast network your team every day. [Music] Let’s get it. Had nation. in the New Orleans Saints 2025 nine-man draft class is the largest draft class that the Saints have brought in since the 2015 season. And this also could be one of the most impactful draft classes since 2017 and 2006 before that. A big reason why is the opportunity that’s ahead of him. Think about this for me. first round left tackle that was drafted in the top 10. The highest drafted quarterback for the franchise since the 1988 supplemental draft, 1971 NFL draft. Two solid round three players that can contribute for this team both on the defensive side with Vernon Broton as well as Jonas Sanker who could be future players at their position. broughten probably a little bit more rotational, but Sanker has the ability to be a starting safety in the league. A guy that they were excited was still on the board when they went up to draft him in the third round. Stzman as well as so linebacker Danny Stzman as well as Quincy Riley who we’ve been talking about today. Both guys have the opportunity to be the future at their positions as well. Stman, somebody that can contribute along with guys like Deario Davis and Pete Warner, but eventually potentially move into a role in place of one of those guys as well once those tenures come to an end in New Orleans. And Quincy Riley could step right into a lead role as early as his rookie season. We haven’t gotten to Devin Neil again in terms of our our kind of deep dives or in-depth looks, but you already know him coming in as a sixthround uh running back. A guy that everyone expected to be off the board late day two early in day three at the latest. Somebody that comes in with over 50 games of experience, having never missed a game due to injury, proving durability, three straight 1,000yard rushing seasons, and contributes as a pass catcher as well. You can see that just from there, we got to see what Maliki Mavau as well as Fidil Diggs, the two seventh round picks, tight end and edge rusher respectively, end up developing into. But you can see pretty quickly how these players can have an impact for this team for the future. And also consider too that the Saints took swings at premier positions, left tackle, quarterback, cornerback, adding over another edge rusher. I know that came down in the seventh round, but still a ton of players that were added at really impactful, what we call prime or premier positions. This also gives the Saints a lot of flexibility in terms of what their future could look like because of their ability to build with what becomes a young core for this team. It’s reminiscent of, not the same, but reminiscent of the opportunity that was in front of the 2017 draft class. reminiscent of the opportunity that was ahead of the 2006 New Orleans Saints draft class where everything is changing and you’ve you’re developing a new identity. 2017 the Saints were trying to escape that awful 2014 156 rut. 2006 of course they had changed everything over let alone what the city was going through. Reeling from Hurricane Katrina at the time and coming back from Hurricane Katrina at the time I was a part of that group but also coming in for this New Orleans Saints franchise changing the head coach changing the quarterback making wide swath change to the organization. And really, that’s the last time that the Saints have made really wide swath changes to their franchise and to their franchise’s direction and identity up until what is now the Kell Moore era of the New Orleans Saints team. And so with that, having this 2025 draft class focus so much on durability, focus so much on production in their collegiate time, focus so much on leadership and multisport athleticism during their times in college, and bringing in this whole change of identity that’s about to kind of fall into place over the course of the next few years as these players from this 2025 draft class for New Orleans become more acclimated, become more impactful, see their roles grow, things are going to be falling into place in terms of what Kell Moore wants this team to be. So, this is a truly potentially foundational draft class for the New Orleans Saints, the likes of which we’ve not seen in New Orleans since 2017. Does this mean that they need to have the same level of impact that the 2017 draft class had immediately? No. You don’t need to have a firstear rookie of the year uh on both sides of the football. 2006 draft class, for instance, did not have that, but it had foundational pieces in Reggie Bush, Marcus Coulson, and some of these other guys that came in and made immediate impacts for this team that stretched over the course of a build to what became a championship roster by the time they got to 2009. Now, of course, the big ingredient there was Drew Brees, right? had the veteran quarterback, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game and the quarterback that if somebody said, “Hey, Ross, you get the opportunity to choose one quarterback to start your franchise.” Drew Brees is my answer 10 times out of 10, 11 times out of 10. And so that was obviously a big missing ingredient or is a big missing ingredient when you look at the 2025 draft class versus the 2006 and 2017 draft classes. So, it’s not to say that everything has fallen into place, but simply that the opportunity is ahead for this 2025 draft class to be a very important one, a very impactful one, as well as a foundational one for driving where the Saints could be headed in their everchanging landscape and everchanging future and identity. And I think to me that’s a major major opportunity for each one of these players. We’ve talked about Calvin Banks coming in and being the future at left tackle. That’s absolutely the expectation. He’s a top 10 left tackle taken in this year’s draft and is going to come in and immediately become a starter at your left tackle spot. You look at him and Tali Fonga as big time players over on those bookends on the offensive line. That’s a huge compliment to one another and also of course helps your young quarterback. That young quarterback of the future could be from this draft class, could be from last year’s draft class. But you have the opportunity here if you’re Tyler Shuck to become that guy, to be that player that represents that new hope, if you will, that new identity, that new path forward. You’ve got guys on defense like Yonas Sanker and Danny Sman and Quincy Riley that can be starters. Devin Neil could be a future contributor alongside Kendre Miller potentially at running back depending upon how the future looks for Alvin Chimera and the Saints. There is real opportunity for these players to step into very large roles, impactful roles and change the way that these New Orleans Saints are perceived moving forward. A massive opportunity ahead of these nine players. I think this can be has the opportunity to be a foundational draft class. Can they do it? That’s what we’ll find out starting with training camp in a little bit over uh or a little bit less than a month now. Oh my gosh, that’s so exciting. All right, coming up in tomorrow’s episode, let’s dive in on Devin Neil. an in-depth look at the player that could be the future of the New Orleans Saints run game. And for your second listen today, don’t forget to go and check out Jake Madison over at Locked on Pelicans. He’s breaking down all of the big moves for the Pels and what their futures could look like as well. We appreciate you very much. As always, make it a part of your day, part of your routine for saying yes to me and the show. If you see me, please say hi. If you need anything else around your New Orleans Saints in between these episodes, make sure you follow me on your favorite social media, Ross Jackson na. Hit me up. Let the family’s doing them. Know how you living. Let me know how you’re moming them. And trust that nation, I’ll holl at you.

The New Orleans Saints’ 2025 NFL Draft class could reshape the franchise’s future. Fourth-round pick Quincy Riley, a cornerback from Louisville, brings ball-hawking skills and versatility to the defense. Riley’s 15 career interceptions and 400+ interception return yards make him a potential year-one starter.

This nine-man draft class, the largest since 2015, features left tackle Kelvin Banks and quarterback Tyler Shough and more. It has the potential to, like the impactful 2017 and 2006 classes, define the new era of Saints football. Under new head coach Kellen Moore, some of these rookies have a chance to step into significant roles immediately.

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