New Orleans Saints' Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis was interviewed by Saints Radio Network/WWL Radio's Bobby Hebert and Hokie Gajan Tuesday night.
Below are some highlights from the interview:
On Texas S Kenny Vaccaro:
"There are a lot of guys you could compare him to. This is a kid that has great feet and is very quick. He has the quickness of a corner and yet he hits like a linebacker. He has an edge to him. He is a physical safety. He did a lot of the nickel work at Texas. If you watched him play against (West Virginia WR) Tavon Austin, who we all know about his skillset, he did a pretty good job on a guy that was much faster and quicker than he was. He has great football IQ. We are excited to have him in our program. There are a lot of things that he can do for us initially, including playing some nickel."
On the possibility of having safeties Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins and Kenny Vaccaro on the field at the same time:
"Before the draft when we were talking about different scenarios, one of the scenarios was that Malcolm could move into the nickel position because he has done that before and he does have good coverage skills.
"I think one of the great strengths that Rob (Ryan) has as a defensive coordinator is being able to recognize what guys do well and taking advantage of that. That's one of Sean's (Payton) great strengths as well – being able to recognize the talents of players and putting them in a position to use those talents and not asking them to do things that they are not skilled at."
On if Arkansas-Pine Bluff T Terron Armstead is a better prospect than former Saints LT Jermon Bushrod coming out of college:
"I would hesitate to compare to any player that has been with us recently. I think this – you have to look beyond these remarkable combine numbers that he had. Obviously running 4.6 (in the 40-yard dash) is extraordinary. That could be the fastest in history for anybody that big – offensively or defensively. Also with some drill work and the shuttles he ran, they are remarkable numbers. When you watch him play he dominated his level of competition. So then the question becomes "Well how is he going to react when he faces better players. We got a little taste of that at the East-West Shrine Game and practices. He did very well against that competition. He got called in late to the Senior Bowl and did well there. He has answered those questions. We will see when he gets to us to see how long it takes for him to develop but I wouldn't rule him out as a candidate to be our starting left tackle this season. It's a competition. Somebody is going to emerge as taking that job."
On Georgia DT John Jenkins:
"This is a massive player and yet he is pretty quick for a big man. He has been disruptive in games when you watch him. He loves football. All the reports and everything we hear about him is that he is a hard worker in the weight room and at practice. He's a great teammate. There are a lot of real positive qualities with this kid which is really the reason why we wanted to go up and make a trade to try and get him. He's a perfect first or second down player for us with a lot of upside. We'll see if he can fulfill that."
On Tulane QB Ryan Griffin:
"We have had our eye on him this whole time. He is a smart and accurate thrower. He played for (Curtis Johnson at Tulane) and they run a lot of the same stuff. He is going to come in ahead of the game."
On Georgia Tech CB Rod Sweeting:
"He's 6-0 and runs a 4.37(in the 40-yard dash). He has size, speed and good character. We're excited we got him."
On North Carolina LB Kevin Reddick:
"He was a four-year starter. He has outstanding character. He is football smart. He had 18.5 tackles for losses and six-and-a-half sacks this past season. He's been a productive college player."
On Nebraska LB Eric Martin:
"A Sam linebacker from Nebraska. He was a productive player, runs well and has a strong upper body. He is a tough player."
On Stanford LB Chase Thomas:
"He is a smart, tough and competitive player who has been very productive. He had nine forced fumbles in his career at Stanford. We were really excited to get him."
