We were already made aware that the New Orleans Saints had quarterback Patrick Mahomes snatched from their clutches one pick before the No. 11 selection. Now we have confirmation that Sean Payton had another player taken right before he was about to pull the trigger.
This story comes right from the horse's mouth.
Speaking to reporters Friday, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster detailed how he was on the phone with the Saints (selecting No. 32) when the Niners traded up to snag him.
We'll pick up the tale from there:
"And so that's when a click had came in, and she pulled the phone out and I saw it was San Jose, so I had clicked over," Foster said. "I had clicked over for the San Francisco 49ers and I picked it up and I said hello while the New Orleans Saints are still on the line. And I'm like, 'Dang.' But I wanted to be a 49er so bad, it was funny. But man, it was crazy."
Did the Saints tell you that they had picked you?
"They wanted to pick me, but it was too late. They were the 31st pick. They traded down. So they couldn't. I told John Lynch, coach John Lynch, that it was too late. I said, 'Man, coach, you're the 34th pick, it's too late. The New Orleans Saints are about to get me.'"
What did the Saints tell your girlfriend?
"'You've got to take your time and really scope him and be there for him.' She's from Louisiana, Baton Rouge. New Orleans is just a 45-minute drive. So they wanted her there with her family and be like a home welcoming. Like a home away from home."
They were certain they were going to pick you?
"Yeah, they were certain they were going to pick me."
They were welcoming you, your girlfriend, your family essentially, when John called on the other line?
"Yeah."
So was it awkward at all when you clicked back on the other line to talk to the Saints?
"No. I hung up."
Thus ended a rough day for the Saints, who settled for offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
Getting corner Marshon Lattimore and Ramczyk immediately improves the Saints, but it's not nearly as sexy a day as Sean Payton could have had if Mahomes and Foster landed in his lap.
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