New Orleans Saints defensive backs Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (a fourth-round pick) and Saquan Hampton (a sixth-round selection) linked up to create an interception at the team’s rookie minicamp. Gardner-Johnson started the play lined up in the slot, covering seventh-round pick Alize Mack, a tight end. When the ball came Mack’s way, Gardner-Johnson jumped the route to bat it away, sending the ball up in the air and falling into Hampton’s waiting arms. It’s been a while since the Saints secondary has enjoyed so many players with these kinds of ball skills.
It was a nice bit of teamwork between two of the Saints’ rookie draft picks. The play was caught on video by Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune.
The official Saints Twitter account also shared a video of the play, from Hampton’s perspective. It tracks the rookie lining up at free safety, reading the play as it unfolds in front of him, and then adjusting to cover Mack in case he slips free of coverage. That happened to put him in the right spot at the right time to go back a big play:
If these are the kind of plays the Saints can expect out of their young additions, the secondary could very well become a strength of the team as the summer progresses.
