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Meet the 2021 Saints Draft Picks

New Orleans selected  Payton Turner, Pete Werner, Paulson Adebo, Ian Book, Landon Young, and Kawaan Baker during the 2021 NFL Draft

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With the 2021 NFL Draft coming to a close, the Saints added six draft picks to the roster. Learn a little more about each of the Saints 2021 draft picks.

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Payton Turner, Defensive End, Houston

  • Saints 1st round draft pick, No. 28

With the 28th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected defensive end Payton Turner from the University of Houston.

In 2020, Turner was a team captain who led Houston with 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. At 6 feet 6 , 270 pounds, Turner registered 25 tackles in just five contests while also being named to the 2020 Phil Steele Magazine American Athletic Conference Second Team and the 2020 Athlon Sports Preseason American Athletic Conference Second Team.

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Pete Werner, Linebacker, Ohio State

  • Saints 2nd round draft pick, No. 28 (60th overall)

With the 60th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected linebacker Pete Werner from Ohio State.

Werner was a two-time all-Big Ten Conference honoree including third-team honors in 2020. At 6 feet 2, 242 pounds, Werner played in 47 games as a Buckeye, started 35 times and entered his senior season in 2020 with a stat line of 131 total tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He led the Buckeyes with 54 tackles in 2020 and was second on the team in tackles in 2019 with 64.

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Paulson Adebo, Cornerback, Stanford

  • Saints 3rd round draft pick, No. 12 (76th overall)

With the 76th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected cornerback Paulson Adebo from Stanford. The Saints moved up in Round 3 following a draft trade where they sent Denver the 98th and 105th overall choices.

Adebo was named a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree (2018-19) as well as named to the All-Pac-12 second team by the Associated Press in 2019. As a junior, Adebo played in and started each of the first nine games before a season-ending injury where he totaled 33 tackles 10 pass breakups and four interceptions. He also led the Pac-12 Conference in passes defended per game and interceptions per game along with being ranked third nationally in passes defended per game and eighth in interceptions per game.

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Ian Book, Quarterback, Notre Dame

  • Saints 4th round draft pick, No. 28 (133rd overall)

With the 133rd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected quarterback Ian Book from Notre Dame on Saturday, May 1.

Book is the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history (30 games). The 6-foot, 206-pound quarterback made a name for himself at Notre Dame by coming off the bench to lead the Irish to a win over LSU in the Citrus Bowl in his redshirt freshman season. He played in 10 games with one start that season completing 46-of-75 passes for 456 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. Despite the team's 4-0 start in 2018, Book replaced Brandon Winbush as the starting quarterback for the final nine contests, completing 214-of-314 passes for 2,628 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He started all 13 games as a junior, winning the team's Offensive Player of the Year award. Book took his team to new heights in 2020, leading Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff and garnering third-team All-ACC honors.

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Landon Young, Offensive Tackle, Kentucky

  • Saints 6th round draft pick, No. 22 (206th overall)

With the 206th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected offensive tackle Landon Young from Kentucky on Saturday, May 1. The Saints moved up in Round 6, trading picks 218 and 229 to the Indianapolis Colts.

Young appeared in 49 career games, with 26 starts, including 24 in a row at left tackle for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-7, 321-pound offensive tackle earned First-Team All-SEC honors in 2020. Young was an integral part of Kentucky's offensive line, a group that was named semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award, which recognizes the nation's Most Outstanding Offensive Line, in 2019 and 2020. Young was named to the SEC Community Service Team in 2019.

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Kawaan Baker, Wide Receiver, South Alabama

  • Saints 7th round draft pick, No. 28 (255th overall)

With the 255th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected wide receiver Kawaan Baker from South Alabama on Saturday, May 1.

Baker finished his collegiate career totaling 1,829 yards receiving on 126 catches with 16 touchdowns. In 2020, he hauled in 51 catches for 659 yards with eight touchdowns and averaged 12.9 yards per catch. As a junior, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound wideout saw action in all 12 of the Jaguars' games, starting each of the last 11. He led the team with 35 catches for 574 yards and was named honorable mention all-Sun Belt Conference.

2021 NFL draft photos of New Orleans Saints draft pick Kawaan Baker, wide receiver from the University of South Alabama.

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