Blackmon is expected to give New Orleans a younger and more athletic safety duo
The New Orleans Saints will open their 2025 season in 28 days when they take on the Arizona Cardinals at home. Julian Blackmon, a recent newcomer to the squad, wears No. 28 for the team. An accomplished veteran, Blackmon was signed at the beginning of training camp after the abrupt retirement of Tyrann Mathieu. Our choice for Saints Player of the Day, here’s a closer look at the newest New Orleans defensive back.
- Name (age): Julian Blackmon (26)
- Hometown: Layton, Utah
- Position: Safety
- Height, weight: 6-feet, 202 pounds
- College: Utah Utes
- Relative Athletic Score: 3.53
- Drafted: Round 3, 85th overall in 2020 (Indianapolis Colts)
- NFL experience: 5 years
- 2025 salary cap hit: $3,170,000
A three-star recruit at Layton High School, the University of Utah kept Blackmon at home in the recruiting battle. He started his career with the Utes at cornerback, where he played for his first three years. Blackmon had a team-high 4 interceptions from that position in 2017 and earned 2nd Team All-Pac-12 accolades in 2018 with 10 passes broken up and an interception return for a touchdown. Moving to safety as a senior in 2019, Blackmon responded with Pac-12 best 4 interceptions. He returned one of those for a score while forcing 2 fumbles and recording a career-best 60 tackles.
An ACL injury prevented Blackmon from most pre-draft workouts in 2020, but didn’t prevent the Indianapolis Colts from selecting him midway through the third round. He’d appear in 15 contests as a rookie, making 14 starts and intercepting 2 passes while breaking up 6 others and forcing a fumble. A torn Achilles knocked Blackmon out of the 2021 season after only six outings. He’d bounce back to start 11 of his 14 games in 2022, returning his only interception for a touchdown and notching his first career sack. The 2023 season was the best statistically to date for Blackmon. He had 4 interceptions and broke up 8 passes, both best on the team, with 5 of his 88 tackles resulting in negative yardage. He turned in another strong performance last year with a team-best 3 interceptions, 4 passes broken up, and 86 total tackles.
Blackmon didn’t get a ton of interest on the free agent market this offseason. That is, until the Saints came calling after Tyrann Mathieu decided to step away. He’s expected to team with Justin Reid, another offseason signing, to give New Orleans an entirely new safety tandem on the back end. A natural free safety, Blackmon makes up for still-improving instincts with good range and excellent ball skills. His experience as a college corner also gives him some versatility to play the slot. Blackmon will turn just 27 before the start of the season, making he and Reid (28) the youngest and most athletic safety duo the Saints have had in a few years.