Henderson to stay in state with Saints

Devery Henderson will always be known among LSU fans for his role in the Bluegrass Miracle.Now fans of the New Orleans Saints will hope the Opelousas wide receiver will perform some similar magic in the NFL.

The Saints made Henderson the 50th overall pick with their second round selection and the 18th player taken in the round. New Orleans was set to pick 48th but traded down with Minnesota to get Henderson.

Henderson completed a four-year career at LSU with 89 catches for 1,311 yards and 19 touchdowns. The large majority of those catches came in his last two seasons with the Tigers after playing his freshman and sophomore years as a tailback. As a rusher, he carried for 433 yards and three touchdowns on 73 carries.

Henderson also contributed as a kickoff returner and totalled 742 yards on 30 attempts for a 24.7-yard average.

Although he entered the draft in the shadow of teammate Michael Clayton, Henderson upped his stock with a strong Senior Bowl and good Pro Day timings. Pro scouts have been most impressed with his speed, moves and blocking ability.

Henderson is the first LSU player the Saints have drafted since tight end Nicky Savoie, a Cut Off native, was made a sixth-round selection in 1997. Other former Tigers who were drafted by the Saints include defensive back Mike Mayes (1989) running back Hokie Gajan (1981) and Steve Rogers (1975) and flanker Tommy Morel (1969).

Defensive tackle Earl Leggett, an All-SEC player for LSU in 1955, was a first-round pick of the Chicago Bears two years later and was an expansion draft selection of the Saints in 1967.