The most immediate impact we’ll see from the New Orleans Saints hiring former Tennessee and Auburn wide receivers coach Kodi Burns will be his influence on the young receivers who already took a step or two last year, like Deonte Harty (who is a restricted free agent the team badly needs to re-sign) and Marquez Callaway. But Burns’ arrival is timely. He’s joining the team just weeks before the football world gathers in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine.
That’s an opportunity for teams to formally meet with prospects — often for the first time — and see them put through their paces in athletic testing drills. And Burns offers rare insight to one of the Saints’ greatest positions of need. He’s spent years recruiting and coaching against many of the top prospects in this year’s draft cycle.
One to note in particular is Tennessee receiver Velus Jones Jr.; Burns played an integral part in his breakout 2021 season, in which Jones more than doubled his career…