Great Players The Saints Could Have Drafted: Mike Webster

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 1974 NFL Draft.

In the fifth round, with the 113th-overall pick, the Saints selected Florida receiver Joel Parker.

Granted, he was only a 5th-round pick, but Parker lasted only 3 seasons, totaling 51 career receptions.

12 picks later, with the 21st pick of the fourth round, and the 125th-overall selection, the Pittsburgh Steelers took Wisconsin center Mike Webster.

It was a terrific pick by the Steelers, as Webster was the anchor on their offensive line for much of the 70's and 80's, helping them to four Super Bowl rings.

A 9-time Pro Bowler, Webster was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

In 17 seasons, Webster appeared in 245 games, including 217 as a starter.

Webster, who is viewed as one of the best centers of all-time, would have certainly helped in protecting Archie Manning, and making the Saints better.