In 91 days, the New Orleans Saints will begin their 2026 regular season. New Orleans will be on the road to kick off their year, traveling to play the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. In possession of the number 91 jersey for the Saints is Vernon Broughton , a second year defensive tackle.
New Orleans had a successful draft class in 2025. All nine choices made the team, with four of the picks quality starters by the middle of the season and two others making decent contributions. One that we didn't get to evaluate at all was Broughton, the first of two third round selections. Our Saints Player of the Day countdown continues with a look at Broughton and his background as he enters his second season.
Name (age): Vernon Broughton
Hometown: Houston , Texas
Position: Defensive tackle
Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 311 pounds
College: Texas Longhorns
Relative Athletic Score: N/A
Drafted: Round 3, 71st overall in 2025 (Saints)
NFL experience: 1 year
2026 salary cap hit: $1.51 million
A four-star recruit out of Cypress Ridge High School in Texas, Broughton elected to stay in-state over recruiting pitches from other national powers. After playing in just two games in 2020 as a freshman, he was a regular part of the defensive line rotation until becoming a starter last season. In his last four years with the Longhorns, Broughton totaled 6.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss among his 70 total stops.
New Orleans targeted Broughton with their first of two choices in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the seventh pick in that round. He was the fifth defensive tackle taken off the board in Day 2. Outside of Bryan Bresee (1st round in 2023) and Christen Miller (2nd round in 2026), Broughton is the highest drafted interior defender by the Saints since Sheldon Rankins in 2016.
Unfortunately, the Saints really didn't get to evaluate any contributions from Broughton as a rookie. He was inactive in the 2025 season opener, then after making 3 tackles in Week 2 against the 49ers suffered a hip injury. The injury kept Broughton for the rest of his rookie campaign. He is now fully recovered and will be a full participant through minicamp, training camp, and into the preseason.
In college, Broughton showed an explosive first step off the snap and good athleticism for his size. He'll need to get stronger and show more consistency against the run, but plays with good leverage against double-teams and shows good lateral movement down the line of scrimmage. Broughton's frame and athleticism gives him some versatility as both an interior lineman or a big end in 3-man fronts. Still essentially a rookie, Vernon Broughton could be a key factor for the New Orleans defensive front.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Vernon Broughton is the Saints of Day 91
