The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft will be held on Thursday, April 28, in Chicago, Illinois.

Between now and then, we’ll be looking back at all of the drafts of the New Orleans Saints, from 1967-2015.

Yesterday, we looked back at 1996.

Today: 1997

The 1997 draft was the 31st draft in the history of the Saints, and the first under former head coach Mike Ditka.

The pick: Chris Naeole, an offensive lineman from Colorado.

A native of Kailua, Hawaii, Naeole, who was the 10th-overall pick of the 1997 NFL Draft, played five years for the Saints, from 1997-2001.

The 6-foot-3, 317-pound Naeole played in all 4 games as a rookie in 1997, all as a reserve, before becoming the full-time starter at right guard in 1998.

Naeole continued to be the starter at right guard for the Saints for the next three years, through the 2001 campaign, be signing as an unrestricted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars prior to the 2002 season.

In his 6-year stint with the Jaguars, Naeole was a starter every season, before retiring following the 2007 season.

In 5 seasons with the Saints, Naeole played in 67 games, including 63 as a starter.

In 11 total NFL seasons, Naeole appeared in 154 games, including 150 as a starter.

The pick of Naeole by the Saints is not remembered very fondly by a number of Saints fans, but in reality, he was a solid player for the Saints for four years, and a very reliable guard in the NFL for 11 seasons.

The Saints didn't have much success with the rest of their picks in 1997, selecting Ohio St. defensive Rob Kelly in the second round, Nebraska defensive end Jared Tomich and Iowa St. running back Troy Davis in the third round, and Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel and Arizona St. receiver Keith Poole in the fourth round.

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