Small school OL Quinn Meinerz, who was terrific at the @seniorbowl, is set to meet virtually with the #Saints in a few weeks.
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) February 20, 2021
Few players helped themselves at this year’s Senior Bowl more than Quinn Meinerz, a little-known offensive lineman out of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Meinerz put himself on the map between his people-moving skills on the field and big personality off of it, with his fashionable crop top jersey tying everything together beautifully. Meinerz injured his hand during the week of practices but gutted out the pain to impress scouts and coaches with quality reps at center and both guard spots.
The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reports that Meinerz has a virtual meeting with the New Orleans Saints coming up, and he’d be an ideal replacement for someone they recently cut — veteran guard Nick Easton. Easton’s contract had become prohibitive (his release saved nearly $6 million) relative to his play, but he was an important part of their success up front. Like Meinerz, Easton was an accomplished guard with a history of snapping the ball himself at center.
As for where Meinerz could be picked: that’s very much up in the air, making virtual interviews like this even more important. His conference didn’t play football in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, making it even more difficult to evaluate a Division III prospect with a smaller sample size. It’s possible he lands in the second or third round if he continues to check the right boxes with teams.
The Saints have a history of adding small-school talent. Two of the best players in team history, Jahri Evans and Marques Colston, played at Bloomsburg and Hofstra (which doesn’t have a football program anymore). All-Pro return man Deonte Harris starred at Division-II Assumption College. They found former tight end-convert Dan Arnold at nearby rival Wisconsin-Platteville. Terron Armstead might be the best left tackle in the NFL, depending on who you ask, and his career started at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Meinerz fits the profile of what the Saints like to see in draft prospects, and his addition would address a need on the roster; but there’s a long road to go until this year’s draft, and it’s anyone’s guess who might end up picking him.
