A New Orleans Saints star surfaced this week in an unusual location and with NFL draft fever nearing maximum temperatures.
That would be Alvin Kamara, who spent time with the Colorado Buffaloes this week, notably coached by retired NFL superstar Deion Sanders. The Saints have been talked about widely as a potential landing spot for Deion's son, Shedeur, in the upcoming draft. The Saints hold the No. 9 selection, while potential landing spots for Sanders have been all over the map.
“Yes, indeed, I’m out here with in Boulder, man," Kamara said in a video shared on Colorado's social media account. "Out here with Prime. Out here with the Buffaloes."
That post was also accompanied by a photo of Kamara and Deion. That post, along with a photo posted earlier in the day of Kamara and Colorado assistant and former Georgia high school football coach Michael Pollock, immediately ignited furor that the visit was teasing the Saints' interest in Shedeur as a potential QB of the future -- something that may or may not be true.
The Saints social media also quoted Colorado's post on X with their own comment, "legendary linkup," playing off a commonly used descriptor of the Buffaloes QB.
Some deeper digging, though, reveals a more direct reason for the visit. Kamara's longtime strength coach, Andreu Swasey, was hired to Colorado's staff this offseason after 15 years with the Miami Hurricanes. Kamara has been working with Swasey since before he was drafted in 2017 and has been highly complimentary of him -- and other various coaches throughout his career -- in terms of helping the Saints star rise to NFL success. Kamara referenced this in the video posted by Colorado, as well.
"My guy Swasey out here," Kamara said, "so you know I’m following wherever he go. Good day of practice.”
Regardless of the reason for the visit, the buzz around Sanders and the Saints has only gotten louder in recent weeks. The team sent QBs coach Scott Tolzien and WRs coach Keith Williams out to the Colorado pro day earlier this month, with both Deion and Shedeur Sanders speaking highly of the organization and city of New Orleans. The Saints have been listed with the top betting odds to land Sanders on multiple betting sites, and multiple draft analysts, including ESPN's Mel Kiper, have the Saints landing the popular QB in their latest mock drafts.
The Saints are a popular pick to land a QB in the upcoming draft, whether Sanders or otherwise, as they shift gears under new head coach Kellen Moore. The team opted to restructure veteran Derek Carr's contract this offseason, marking him the most likely QB to start the 2025 season, but they could certainly look to build up the competition in that room behind him with an eye on 2025 and beyond. Currently that group includes former mid-round picks in Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.
We'll find out whether that pairing comes true when the first round of the draft kicks off on April 24.
