Rookie sixth-round pick continuing to shine at Saints training camp

· Yahoo Sports

Whew. The hype building up around Barion Brown isn't dying down. On Thursday, the rookie wide receiver ended the New Orleans Saints' seventh training camp practice with an exclamation point by catching a touchdown pass deep downfield from Spencer Rattler. It's just the latest explosive play from a sixth-round pick most fans expected to make the squad for his skills in the return game on special teams. Instead, it's looking like Brown has real potential to help out offensively.

Rattler deserves a lot of credit on the throw that ended Thursday's practice session. He was throwing on the move, outside the pocket and under duress, but kept his eyes downfield and placed the pass where only Brown had a chance at catching it. It officially went down as a 46-yard completion that traveled more than 30 yards through the air. That's a Sunday throw. Brown came down with the pass even with veteran cornerback Isaac Yiadom covering him tightly. He's made a lot of plays against Yiadom and his fellow backup Martin Emerson Jr. on the second-string defense. There's 5,159 career defensive snaps and 169 games played between the two of them (including the playoffs).

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But you can count Saints coach Kellen Moore as one of those observers who wasn't surprised to see Brown thriving on offense. Even if the team drafted him for his chops on special teams, Moore saw plenty of quality reps through Brown's college tape. Brown caught 122 passes in three years at Kentucky before transferring to LSU in 2025, where he posted a personal-best 53 receptions. That experience against a strong quality of competition prepared him for the challenges he's now facing in the NFL.

"I think we watched a lot of evidence of him playing receiver, and playing impactful plays in the SEC for a number of years, not just the LSU year, but the Kentucky year(s)," Moore told reporters after practice on Wednesday. "And when you watch all that exposure and get to know Barion, you're really fired up to have this guy, and so he's doing a great job. And I think the hardest part for these young guys really isn't the physical. You know, there's an acclimation there, but there's so much mental and so I think that's a credit to him that he's been really prepared to go out there and play."

It's a wide-open competition for the fourth and fifth roster spots at wide receiver. With the Saints having their top three locked in between Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, and Devaughn Vele, guys who started training camp on the roster bubble like Brown need every rep they can get to stand out and build their case. Brown is certainly making the most of his chances so far. With joint practices and preseason games against other teams coming up fast, he'll get more opportunities to prove he belongs.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Rookie sixth-round pick continuing to shine at Saints training camp

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