The New Orleans Saints were in need of some help on the defensive side of the ball, so they drafted University of Florida safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in the fourth round (105th pick overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft late last month.
The Saints finished with the NFL's best record this past season, winning 13 games and making it to the NFC Championship Game before suffering a gut-wrenching and controversial loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
In spite of the fact that New Orleans didn't go all the way, Gardner-Johnson still feels his new team is the best squad in the league.
“It’s the best all around team from top to bottom, offense and defense,” said Gardner-Johnson, per James Parks of 247 Sports. “I’m just coming into a system where everything has a standard. I’m just going to come in and live up to that standard so everyone on the team and in the front office upstairs can be proud of me and say these guys are set.”
Gardner-Johnson is coming off of a terrific junior campaign in which he racked up 71 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, four interceptions, and a couple of defensive touchdowns.
The 21-year-old was productive in all three of his collegiate seasons, as he finished with 32 tackles, three picks, and a defensive score during his freshman year and then posted 58 stops, six tackles for loss, a sack, a couple of interceptions, and seven passes defended in sophomore season.
For a Saints team that is heavy on offense and not so much on defense, they can certainly use a safety like Gardner-Johnson, who could prove to be one of the biggest steals in this draft class.