Skip to main content

Saints draft Stanley Jean-Baptiste in second round

By WTOP Staff

BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff set out to draft a defensive back with the size to contend with some of the bigger receivers in the NFC South, and the ball skills to make quarterbacks think twice about throwing in his direction.

Payton sounded confident he had gotten what he wanted after New Orleans took 6-foot-3 Nebraska cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday night.

“When we start looking at our division and start looking at the receivers we line up against, that size and length, I think, really is necessary,” Payton said, adding that he liked the fact Jean-Baptiste initially played receiver in college. “His ball skills are something we also put a value on.”

Selected 58th overall, Jean-Baptiste joins a defense that ranked fourth in the NFL last season, and he’ll be able to learn from 12-time Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey, whom the Saints acquired in free-agency this offseason.

“Hopefully he’ll take me in with open arms and he can teach me what he knows,” Jean-Baptiste said of Bailey.

The 218-pound Jean-Baptiste was among top performers in both the vertical jump and broad jump at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. His vertical jump of 41.5 inches ranked first among cornerbacks, while his broad jump of 10 feet, 8 inches tied for third.

His time of 4.61 seconds in the 40-yard dash was not among the best at his position, but Payton said the Saints were confident his combination of speed and size would be a good fit for defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit.

When you, a lot of times, take and compare speed, agility, quickness, there’s a give and take,” Payton said. “So as the height goes up, you’re not going to always find that you have … the same 40 time, but you want to make sure he’s fast enough, and we think he is.”

Many of the top receivers in the NFC South are at least 6 feet tall, including Atlanta’s Julio Jones (6-3) and Roddy White (6-0). Carolina, meanwhile, drafted 6-5 Florida State receiver Kelvin Benjamin in the first round on Thursday night, while Tampa Bay took 6-5 Texas A&M receiver Mike Williams to play alongside 6-5 veteran wideout Vincent Jackson.

“With the receivers we see and with the amount of bump-and-run coverage we want to play, I think the longer corner helps in that regard,” Payton added. “The ball skills are something that are important because I know, offensively, if we feel like we’re playing someone who doesn’t have those ball skills, there’s not a negative to throw in that direction; it’s complete, it’s incomplete or it’s pass interference. And so it’s when there’s a corner that can turn around and catch a football that really makes you target and locate your passes and makes you very, just leery of just indiscriminately throwing it out there.”

Jean-Baptiste was named second-team All-Big Ten as a senior last season, when he tied for a team-high four interceptions, one of which he returned 43 yards for a touchdown. He also was credited with 12 pass breakups and 41 total tackles, including four tackles for losses.

The 24-year-old Jean-Baptiste spent five years in college, starting at junior college in 2009 for academic reasons. However, he took a redshirt in his only year at Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College, where he was discovered by a Nebraska coach who had visited the school to see someone else.

He transferred to Nebraska in 2010, where he was a receiver until a few games into the 2011 season, when he switched to defensive back.

“Being a fifth-year senior helped me mature more, helped me understand the game more, especially in my position, playing DB for two-and-a-half-years,” Jean Baptiste said.

New Orleans entered Friday without a pick in the third round, having traded it to Arizona during Thursday night’s first round that allowed the Saints to take Oregon State receiver Brandin Cooks 20th overall.

___

Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote