It may seem far-fetched to think the New Orleans Saints could pick multiple players from the same school in the 2024 NFL draft. After all, teams are picking from a pool of hundreds of players, and even if the Saints own nine selections that’s just a drop in the bucket of this year’s 257 picks. The odds of two college teammates continuing to compete together on the same team after turning pro can’t be good.
But it’s more likely than you’d think. In the 57 years (and 57 drafts) since the team was founded in 1967, the Saints have double-dipped by picking players from the same schools in 22 different drafts. And some years they went back to the same wells in the same draft classes by picking pairs of players from multiple programs. Obviously that’s easier to do in the early days when the draft had 17 rounds, or 12, rather than just seven like we’ve come to know during the last 30 years.
In total, the Saints have picked two players from the same school a surprising 33 times. They once drafted three players from Michigan in the same year (Paul Seal, Larry Cipa, and Don Coleman in 1974). Since Mickey Loomis began running their draft in 2003 they’ve double-dipped like this six times, and twice in his first year on the job. Most recently they drafted a pair of Ohio State Buckeyes in 2016, both in the second round: wide receiver Michael Thomas and safety Vonn Bell.
Who else has taken this path? Here’s the full list: