Kenny Vaccaro was the New Orleans Saints' top pick in the 2013 NFL Draft (first round – 15th overall) and became the first safety to be selected by the Saints in the first round.
Vaccaro joins a veteran safety group that includes Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins, Rafael Bush, Isa Abdul-Quddus and Jim Leonhard.
The 6-foot, 214-pound safety arrives in New Orleans after earning All-American honors as a senior at the University of Texas. Vaccaro started 32-of-51 games he appeared in as a Longhorn.
The versatile safety used his incredible combination of athletic ability and toughness to contribute from four positions, including both safety spots. The Brownwood, Texas native finished his career with 264 tackles (162 solo), two sacks for minus 16 yards, 16 stops for losses of 59 yards, five interceptions for 19 yards in returns, 21 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two blocked punts and 14 special teams tackles (10 solo).
Quotes on Kenny Vaccaro:
Sean Payton (May 23, 2013):
"He's doing well, obviously the young guys are getting a lot thrown at them, and he is handling it. I think he is someone that is real smart, so he has picked things up quickly. He is playing at safety, you see him playing at nickel, so he's playing a bunch of different spots."
*Vaccaro on joining a veteran group of safeties (May 30, 2013): *
"Roman (Harper) and Malcolm Jenkins have been a great influence on me. They have been helping me a lot. They have helped me learn my plays and getting me lined up. I am glad I came to a team that has a great group of veterans in front of me."
