Saints training camp: Stephone Anthony ascending quickly
The New Orleans Saints needed a major jolt on defense, and recently losing Junior Gallette seemed to go against conventional wisdom toward attaining that. However, the addition by subtraction of ridding this team of a player that put himself first could be only the beginning. Rookie linebacker Stephone Anthony appears poised for a fast ascension to NFL prominence, and it all starts here with his rookie camp.
“I think right now he’s one of those guys that you look at and you know that in a couple years he’s going to be one of those elite linebackers that actually is a leader off the field and on the field,” linebacker Parys Haralson said. “He prepares, he’s smart, he’s physical and he works hard. So I think he’s got a really bright future.”
It was clear to see from his college days at Clemson that Anthony would be a really good NFL player, but veterans are already noticing ‘elite’ tendencies and abilities. He is a big, rangy linebacker with excellent athleticism and certainly a resume that would stand up against most college linebackers coming out in the last five years.
When the Saints picked Anthony in the first round back in April, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a bit of a surprise. Most analysts and draft gurus projected Anthony as a solid 2nd or 3rd round pick, simply because non-pass rushing linebackers aren’t valued highly (or, not as high as they should be) in the draft.
The Saints felt otherwise, and picked their new middle man on defense with the pick they acquired in the Jimmy Graham trade.
Talk about tough expectations early on.
Back when the Saints were in consistent Super Bowl contention, Jonathan Vilma was the man in the middle of this defense, leading the charge and making all the calls. That role could now fall to Anthony, since Vilma’s shoes haven’t been effectively filled since he left.
He might not even be a starter on opening day with Dannell Ellerbe and David Hawthorne currently ahead on the depth chart, but it’s clear that the former Clemson Tiger won’t have to wait long for his big opportunity to shine in the NFL.