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More often than not, the NFL draft is a shot in the dark. While front offices and coaching staffs across all 32 teams do everything in their power to hit on their selections—a process that involves countless hours watching film, conducting visits with prospects and diving into just about everything there is to know about a player—it’s nearly impossible to come out of a spring with a flawless draft class.
Ahem. Mickey Loomis would like a word.
The Saints got as close to perfect as possible in 2017. After a third-consecutive 7–9 season in ’16—and a trade of wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Patriots—New Orleans found themselves with two first-round picks in the draft, selecting cornerback Marshon Lattimore at No. 11 and tackle Ryan Ramczyk at No. 32. Lattimore quickly turned into one of the top defensive backs in all of football, while Ramcyzk manned the right side of New Orleans’s offensive line for the better part of seven seasons.
But the Saints weren’t done. Armed with a second-round pick, three thirds and a sixth over the next two days, New Orleans turned in five more cards, picking safety Marcus Williams, running back Alvin Kamara, linebacker Alex Anzalone, and defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Any of those names ring a bell?
The class would immediately put its stamp on the league, with Kamara and Lattimore sweeping the 2017 Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, before helping the Saints to an 11–5 regular season record and their first playoff appearance since ’13. Over the better part of the past decade, they’ve tallied three total All-Pro nods, nine Pro Bowl appearances and countless memorable moments. Hendrickson has become one of the NFL’s marquee pass rushers—and was awarded as such with a four-year mega-deal from the Ravens this offseason, while Anzalone—upon getting his chance as an every-down player with the Lions in ’21—has turned into a tackling machine.
Unfortunately, unlike some of the other top draft classes the NFL has ever seen (and despite winning the NFC South for four consecutive seasons from 2017 to ’20), New Orleans was never able to capture a Super Bowl title with this group as its core. After their impressive rookie campaign, the Saints found themselves on the doorstep of the ’17-’18 conference title game appearance before Stefon Diggs and the Minneapolis Miracle stopped them in their tracks. Then, just over a year later, they squandered a 13–0 first-quarter lead in the NFC championship, eventually losing to the Rams in overtime, 26–23, thanks—in part—to an un-called pass interference on Los Angeles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman while covering gadget wide receiver Tommylee Lewis.
Nevertheless, a deeper look at the class underscores just how incredible a job Loomis & Co. did at building a foundation of players for Drew Brees and the Saints’ de facto second act to close out the 2010s. Here’s how each player’s career ultimately panned out.
Round 1, Pick 11: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
Career stats: 436 tackles, 98 passes defensed, 16 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles
Accolades: Pro Bowl (2017, ’19 to ’21), Defensive Rookie of the Year (2017), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2017)
Most memorable NFL moment(s): Lattimore not only burst onto the scene as a rookie with a career-high five interceptions in 2017, but also developed a heated rivalry with division-rival wide receiver Mike Evans of the Buccaneers over his seven-plus-year career with the Saints. The two regularly traded words—and shoves—throughout New Orleans and Tampa Bay’s bi-annual matchups, and during their Week 2 bout back in 2022, were dually ejected after starting a benches-clearing brawl. Lattimore signed a five-year, $96.6 million contract extension with the Saints in 2021. He was dealt to the Commanders at the 2024 NFL trade deadline and spent the past season and a half in Washington before being released this past March.
Round 1, Pick 32: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
Career stats: 101 starts, 22 total penalties
Accolades: First-team All-Pro (2019), Second-team All-Pro (2018, ’20), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2017)
Most memorable NFL moment(s): After being drafted out of Wisconsin in the back half of the first round, Ramcyzk became a stalwart along the Saints’ offensive line, starting 101 games throughout his career, and earning a massive five-year, $96 million extension in 2021. Like most star quarterback protectors, Ramcyzk remained under the radar, but his discipline stood out—as he committed just 22 penalties over seven seasons. He retired last April after missing the entire 2024 campaign with a knee injury.
Round 2, Pick 42: Marcus Williams, FS, Utah
Career stats: 479 tackles, 56 passes defensed, 20 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 1 sack
Accolades: PWFA All-Rookie Team (2017)
Most memorable NFL moment(s): Despite putting together a respectable eight-year career with both the Saints and the Ravens, Williams’s most memorable NFL moment unfortunately came during the Minneapolis Miracle. With just 10 seconds remaining in their 2017 NFC divisional round game against the Vikings, New Orleans held a 24–23 lead and lined up their defense against a 3rd and 10 try for Minnesota. Quarterback Case Keenum dropped back and—with Williams in coverage—fired a pass to Stefon Diggs along the sideline. Instead of playing contain and securing the tackle, Williams attempted a low hit on the wide receiver, whiffed, and saw him scamper into the end zone as time expired to secure a 29–24 Vikings win.
Round 3, Pick 67: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
Career stats: 7,250 rushing yards, 61 rushing touchdowns, 4.3 yards per carry, 606 receptions, 4,948 receiving yards, 25 receiving touchdowns
Accolades: Two-time second-team All-Pro (2017, ’20), five-time Pro Bowler (2017 to ’21), Offensive Rookie of the Year (2017), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2017)
Most memorable NFL moment(s): Where do we start? After splitting time with fellow running back Mark Ingram II in 2017 (and still winning Rookie of the Year), Kamara took over the lion’s share of touches out of the Saints’ backfield in ’18. Although he somehow never tallied a 1,000-yard rushing season, Kamara has found paydirt 87 total times throughout his career—highlighted by an NFL-record six-touchdown performance on Christmas Day, 2020—and is also tied for the most two-point conversions in league history with seven.
Round 3, Pick 76: Alex Anzalone, OLB, Florida
Career stats: 613 tackles, 36 passes defensed, 13 sacks, 4 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles
Accolades: N/A
Most memorable NFL moment(s): Anzalone’s four-year career with the Saints was marred by injuries, as he missed the majority of both 2017 and ’19 with season-ending ailments. Since signing with the Lions in the spring of ’21, however, he put together two 125-plus tackle seasons in ’22 and ’23 while commanding the middle of Detroit’s defense as the way to three consecutive playoff appearances from ’23 to ’25. Anzalone inked a two-year, $17 million deal with the Buccaneers this offseason.
Round 3, Pick 103: Trey Hendrickson, DE, Florida Atlantic
Career stats: 236 tackles, 81 sacks, 16 passes defensed, 15 forced fumbles
Accolades: First-team All-Pro (2024), four-time Pro Bowler (’21 to ’24)
Most memorable NFL moment(s): Hendrickson didn’t make many waves early on in his New Orleans tenure, but that changed in 2020. Entrusted with a larger role along the Saints’ front seven, Hendrickson notched 13.5 sacks across 15 starts during the league’s COVID-19 season, earning him a payday with the Bengals the following spring. Since arriving in Cincinnati, Hendrickson has brought down opposing quarterbacks 61 times—including back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons in ’23 and ’24, with the latter effort leading the league. He’s also been the subject of some high-profile holdouts, and signed a whopping four-year, $120 million contract with the Ravens upon hitting free agency this offseason.
Round 6, Pick 196: Al-Quadin Muhammad, DE, Miami
Career stats: 193 tackles, 26 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 2 passes defensed
Accolades: N/A
Most memorable NFL moment(s): While Muhammad may be the least-known member of New Orleans’s 2017 class, it’s hardly a knock on him as a player. While he’s perhaps most recognizable for his six-game performance-enhancing drug suspension in 2023, the former Miami Hurricane has also tallied 26 sacks over stints with the Saints, Colts, Bears, Cowboys and Lions. Last season in Detroit, Muhammad earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 14, thanks to a three-sack, four-quarterback-hit performance in a win over Dallas. The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal worth up to $6 million with the Buccaneers last month.
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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