New Orleans Saints First Round Draft Choices: Rick Middleton (1974)

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 1973.

Today: 1974

The 1974 draft was the eighth draft in the history of the Saints.

The pick: Rick Middleton, a linebacker, out of Ohio St.

Middleton was taken in the first round, with the 13th overall pick of the 1974 NFL Draft..

A native of Delaware, Ohio, Middleton didn't turn out to be a good pick for the Saints.

A 6-foot-2, 228-pound linebacker, Middleton was a reserve in his rookie season, before going on to start in 1975, his final season with the Saints.

After that 1975 season, Middleton left the Saints for the San Diego Chargers, where he played as a reserve for three seasons, before retiring after the end of the 1978 season.

The Saints took Ball St. defensive back Terry Schmidt in the fifth round. Schmidt started for the Saints for two years, before moving on to the Chicago Bears, where he was a solid starter throughout most of the late 1970's. But again, most of his good football was in Chicago, not New Orleans.

In the 8th round, the Saints selected Alvin Maxon, a running back from SMU, who rushed for 713 yards as a rookie, but could never again play up to the level of his rookie year.