Saints News Network

2019 Saints Season in Review: Erik McCoy

The departure of Max Unger came unexpectedly for the Saints, but rookie Erik McCoy was a stellar replacement.

John Hendrix

It wasn't so long ago that the New Orleans Saints were facing a conundrum on their offensive line. Max Unger, who had been a key asset for the team as part of the Jimmy Graham trade in 2015, retired on March 16, 2019 after 10 seasons in the league. The Saints had little options, and brought in Nick Easton via free agency to help compete with a favored Cameron Tom. Neither would end up starting, as the team traded up in the draft with the Dolphins to take Erik McCoy at 48th overall in the second round.

Erik McCoy - At a Glance

  • Approximate Value: 7
  • Pro Football Focus Grade: 78.0
  • Pro Football Focus Rank: 4 out of 38
  • Pass Block Grade: 79.4
  • Run Block Grade: 77.6
  • Total Snaps: 1,113
  • PWFA All-Rookie Team

McCoy's season was a good one, as he started in all 16 games for the Saints. He graded out as PFF's highest graded rookie lineman in 2019. They even gave New Orleans the fifth-best ranking in their most productive rookie class. We saw the impacts early on in training camp, and preseason was no different. He solidified himself as 'the guy' and had few flaws. It was hard to forget Brian Baldinger's first Baldy Breakdowns highlight of him, in which he said McCoy moved defenders like a John Deere tractor.

Erik McCoy has a very bright future with the Saints, and is the type of player who is built for a 10-year career. He appeared in over 99 percent of the offensive snaps in his first season, and that's only because he had a brief scare against the Cardinals in Week 8, but ended up returning to action. New Orleans has been known for having one of the better, if not best offensive lines in the league for quite some time, and 2019 was no different. McCoy should only help keep that trend up for the Saints.

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net