Christen Miller's family just might have some paraphernalia that will soon be relocated to other homes.
The defensive tackle played at Cedar Grove High School in Georgia and then at the University of Georgia. And, logically, he was warm to the idea of playing for the Atlanta Falcons, who already had his family's allegiance.
But the New Orleans Saints — a rival for significantly longer than their NFC South Division connection — drafted him in the second round, with 42nd overall draft choice, on Friday night during the second day of the NFL Draft.
"(Family) has got to convert," said Miller, who was announced by former Saints receiver Marques Colston. "They're Dirty Bird fans, but we ain't Dirty Birds no more. We're Saints now. It's up!"
New Orleans completed its draft day in the third round and stayed with the University of Georgia, selecting tight end Oscar Delp with the 73rd overall pick.
"It's an explosive offense," Delp said. "I think the Saints do it better than a lot of the teams in the NFL, just being able to move those guys all around. Having a dude like (tight end) Juwan Johnson out there, running around, ballers. I think it's an amazing offense to be a part of."
Miller will make his mark on defense, and said he's excited to play alongside Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee. His Combine interview with New Orleans went well.
"They challenged me a lot," said Miller, who had 23 tackles (four for loss), 23 quarterback hurries and 1.5 sacks in 14 games last season. "It kind of felt like a Georgia game — they run the same defense like Georgia, so it's a no-brainer. Day 1 easy learning, easy clean up."
Miller said he's capable of playing anywhere along the offensive line.
"I just like being a Swiss army knife," Miller said. "I feel like anything my coach tells me to do, I can do it. From being dominant in the inside at nose, to being dominant at the three-tech position, dominant at the four, dominant at the five, I can just do everything. I think I bring that versatility to the game.
"And my mind-set — my mindset is second to none. I think I've got the best mindset in the class in terms of just, I want to run through somebody's face. I seek physicality, I want physicality. That's just what I was taught, that's how I've always been and that's what I'm on. That's what I live by."
That enthusiasm was noted. "Love his energy, love his juice," Moore said. "His versatility and play style is gonna be really good for us."
Miller and Delp twice played in the Sugar Bowl with the Bulldogs, both losses. That experience left a bad taste in Miller's mouth, but he found a better one within the city.
"I love the city," he said. "I love them glazed beignets — I've got to stay away from them, though. I've got to stay away from them, I'm going to kind of just portion that out a little bit.
"But I love the city of New Orleans, it's a city of camaraderie. I think the whole city comes together. I was just telling one of my homeboys a couple of weeks ago, next year I cannot miss Mardi Gras. And guess what? I'm going to be down there, so it's perfect."
The Delp household will not require a paraphernalia dump.
"I was never really a Falcons fan," Delp said. "Growing up in Georgia, I was a college football fan. Down here it's not like that, where people grow up diehard Falcons fans. You're a Georgia Bulldog fan growing up down here. I grew up watching college football. I watched the Falcons here and there but I was never losing sleep over them."
Delp caught 20 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown last season, and finished his career with 70 catches for 854 yards and nine scores.
"He's a multi-spot guy, he's played a lot of different positions in his career, he's played with some other tight ends so he knows how to kind of play that, kind of, multi-tight end type of role," Moore said. "It was a great opportunity for us, for him to still be available in the third round was a nice luxury for us."
For his part, Delp is anxious to display all of his ability.
"I think I'm a dude that can do it all and that's why I'm so excited to get to play here," Delp said. "Special teams, anywhere on offense, I'm a dude that can bring everything to the table and I think I've shown that over the past couple of years. I'm just excited to play and win some games."
Saints Coach Kellen Moore said grabbing two Bulldogs was a coincidence, but a happy one. "Turned out pretty well for us," he said.
