- New Orleans made two picks on Friday, April 29; with the 47th overall pick in the second round, they chose wide receiver Michael Thomas out of Ohio State and with the 61st overall choice in the second round which they acquired from New England in exchange for their third and fourth round picks, they picked Ohio State safety Vonn Bell.
- Thomas was the first Saints draft selection from Ohio State since New Orleans picked defensive back Malcolm Jenkins with the 14th overall choice in 2009.
- Thomas and Bell are the 13th and 14th players picked by New Orleans out of Ohio State all-time. Only Nebraska and USC (17) claim more Saints draft choices. Thomas is the first wideout selected from Ohio State, while Bell is the fourth defensive back. This marks the first time that two Ohio State players have been picked in the same draft by New Orleans.
- With Thomas, Bell and free agent acquisition James Laurinaitis, three former Ohio State players are now on the Saints roster, tied for the most from a school with Georgia (Dannell Ellerbe, John Jenkins and Damian Swann).
- The Houston Texans (WR Will Fuller and C Nick Martin – Notre Dame) and the New England Patriots (T Joe Thuney and QB Jacoby Brissett – North Carolina State) join the Saints as the only three teams to draft two players from the same school through the first two days of the NFL Draft.
- Thomas is a Los Angeles, Calif. native who played three seasons at Ohio State and closed out his college career in Columbus appearing in 39 games and recording 113 receptions for 1,602 yards (14.2 avg.) with 18 touchdowns.
- In 2015, Thomas who graduated in December with a degree in sport industry, was a third team All-Big Ten selection as he started all 13 games and led the team with 56 catches for 781 yards with nine touchdowns, which was tied for second in the conference.
- In 2014, Thomas was the leading receiver for the College Football Playoff national champions with 54 catches for 799 yards with nine touchdowns, playing in all 15 games with 14 starts. In the team's Sugar Bowl win vs. Alabama in the playoffs, Thomas snared a crucial touchdown with 12 seconds to play in the first half in the win vs. no. 1 Alabama.
- Thomas is the nephew of former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson, who was the first overall pick in the 1996 overall draft and also played for Saints Head Coach Sean Payton in Dallas from 2004-05.
- Bell played three seasons for the Buckeyes from 2013-15 and played in 42 career games, recording 176 tackles, nine interceptions, 24 passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.
- In 2015, he was a consensus first-team All-American, starting all 13 games at safety and recording 65 tackles, two interceptions, one brought back for a touchdown, 11 passes defensed and one fumble recovery for the nation's sixth ranked pass defense and second-ranked scoring defense.
- In 2014, Bell, started 14 of 15 games played at safety and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection for the National College Football playoff national champions, ranking second on the club with 92 tackles, adding six interceptions, 12 passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
- In the National College Football Playoff game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome vs. no. 1 Alabama, Bell recorded a pick and then in the national championship game vs. Oregon, he had a sack of QB Marcus Mariota as part of a six-tackle evening.
Associated Press photos of new Saints S Vonn Bell. New Orleans Saints photos.
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