Great Players The Saints Could Have Drafted: Mike Singletary

The 2016 NFL Draft gets underway on Thursday, April 28, in Chicago, Illinois.

Between now and then, we’ll be looking back at some of the past drafts by the Saints, and some of the better players they passed up on when it was their turn to pick.

Of course, every NFL team has had their “steals” and “busts” over the years, as the NFL Draft is such an inexact science, but it’s kind of fun, and at times, agonizing, to look back and see what players they could have, and maybe even should have drafted.

Today, we go back to the 1981 NFL Draft.

It's hard to pick on the 1981 draft, as it's arguably the best draft in team history, but no draft is perfect, and this year is no exception.

In the second round, with the first pick of the round, and the 29th-overall pick, the Saints selected Nebraska safety Russell Gary.

Gary wasn't a bust, starting 58 games in 6 years, but he was mildly disappointing.

9 picks later, with the 38th-overall pick, the Chicago Bears took Baylor linebacker Mike Singletary.

It was an outstanding pick by the Bears, as Singletary went on to become one of the best linebackers of the 1980's, anchoring the Bears' historic 1985 defense, view by many as one of the best ever.

A 10-time Pro Bowler, Singletary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

In 12 seasons, Singletary appeared in 179 games, including 172 as a starter.

The Saints drafted Rickey Jackson in the second round in 1981.

Can you imagine Jackson and Singletary on the same linebacking group in the early 80's?