New Orleans Saints First Round Draft Choices: Larry Burton & Kurt Schumacher (1975)

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, from 1967-2015.

Yesterday, we looked back at 1974.

Today: 1975

The 1975 draft, one in which the Saints had two picks in the first round was the ninth draft in franchise history.

Unfortunately for the Saints, neither pick was a good one.

The first pick: Larry Burton, a receiver, out of Purdue.

Burton was taken in the first round, with the 7th overall pick of the 1975 NFL Draft..

A native of Northampton, Virginia, Burton was drafted with a lot of fanfare, but turned out to be a big disappointment.

A world-class Olympic sprinter, who finished fourth for the United States team in the 200 meter final in the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, Burton compiled 38 catches for 702 yards and 4 touchdowns as a senior at Purdue.

A 6-foot-1, 192-pounder, Burton only accumulated a modest 35 receptions for 615 yards and 4 touchdowns in three seasons with the Saints.

After the 1977 season, Burton left the Saints for the San Diego Chargers, where he played as a reserve for two seasons, before retiring after the end of the 1979 season.

The second pick: Kurt Schumacher, a guard, out of Ohio St.

Schumacher was taken five picks after Burton, with the 12th overall pick of the 1975 NFL Draft.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Schumacher, like Burton, was disappointing.

A 6-foot-3, 252-pounder, Schumacher played just 3 seasons for the Saints, starting 13.

Following the 1977 season, Schumacher left the Saints, and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he played one season, prior to retiring.

The best draft pick by Saints in 1975 was the selection of Elois Grooms in the third round.

A defensive end from Tennessee Tech, Grooms played 7 years for the Saints, including 5 as a starter, and was a solid performer on some less than stellar defenses.