Best New Orleans Saints Draft Choices From FBS Schools: Minnesota

Who is the best player the New Orleans Saints ever drafted from the Minnesota Golden Gophers?

From May 1 until the start of the 2016 NFL season on September 11, we’re going to list the best players that the Saints ever drafted from all 128 FBS schools, as of 2015.

Of course, there are a number of schools, including Air Force, Appalachian St., Arizona, Army, Baylor, Boise St., Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Florida, Central Michigan, East Carolina, FAU, FIU, Hawaii, ULM, Miami (Ohio), Marshall, Middle Tennessee, and South Alabama, in which the Saints have never drafted a player.

Yesterday, we looked at the best player the Saints ever drafted from Michigan St.

Today, we spotlight the best player the Saints ever drafted from Minnesota.

When it comes to selecting the best player the Saints ever drafted from Minnesota, the choice is limited to defensive back Sean Lumpkin (1992) and linebacker Stan Sytsma (1979).

The pick, from a pretty small field, is going to be Lumpkin, a safety, who played for the Saints for 5 years, from 1992-1996.

A native of Golden Valley, Minnesota, Lumpkin was selected by the Saints in the 4th round of the 1992 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Lumpkin played in all 16 games as a rookie, mostly on special teams, compiling 6 tackles.

Lumpkin had basically the same role in 1993, playing in 12 games, mostly on special teams, and was credited with 3 tackles.

The 1994 season saw Lumpkin become the fulltime starter at strong safety, playing in 16 games, including 15 as a starter, totaling 70 tackles and one interception.

In 1995, Lumpkin appeared in all 16 games, starting all of them, accumulating 85 tackles and one interception.

In 1996, his final season with the Saints, and his final season in the NFL, Lumpkin appeared in 7 games, starting one.

In 5 seasons in the NFL, all with the with the Saints, Lumpkin appeared in 67 games, including 32 as a starter, totaling 165 tackles and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown.