I had the chance to interview and talk with Saints UDFA offensive lineman Lewis Kidd out of Montana State. I just wanna say thank you to Lewis Kidd for allowing me the chance to ask him these questions and for overall being a super cool dude. Here’s how it went.
Going undrafted, what attracted you to sign with the Saints? Was it location, coaching staff, or certain players you wanted to learn from?
This is an organization with a passionate fan base and community that have a lot of love for the team. I felt like this was a great opportunity for me to come in and learn from great players and vets who have been around in the league for a good amount of time. I am trying to take in every bit of information possible in order to be successful and make this team to help towards our ultimate goal of winning a super bowl.
Prior to the draft did you have any meetings with the Saints? And if you did, based on those meetings did you get the sense that you’d end up in New Orleans after the draft?
I had a one on one meeting with CJ Leak back in January at the college gridiron showcase. I thought the interview went really well and it was the only interview out of all of the teams I talked to where I was able to go over actual film and break it down and go over terminology. Once the draft rolled around coach Strief was in contact with my agent about their interest in picking me up as a free agent after the draft.
How has your experience been with offensive line coach Doug Marone? Obviously the pads haven’t gone on yet, but how has it been just going over the fundamentals of the playbooks and different blocking packages schemes?
Coach Marone has been a great. He has a lot of football knowledge and is very detail oriented. I feel like coach Strief and coach Marone share similar philosophy and can both coach in a slightly different way to get across the same message. OTAs have Been a lot of technique work and overall fundamentals.
Transition from college to NFL is quite a difference. How has the overall experience and transition been for you over the past two months? How have you been enjoying New Orleans and adjusting to New Orleans life?
The transition has been going well. There is a huge change of speed which I noticed right away, but you slowly start to assimilate. I have been enjoying New Orleans so far and I am really excited to continue to see all of the things this community has to offer!
During these past two months since signing with the Saints, has there been a veteran guy who’s been helping you out with advice or has impacted you?
I would say all the offensive linemen have been really great about giving advice and helping with technique and fundamentals. At my position Landon young has been giving some great advice and tips.
What do you think is your biggest skill set that you bring to the Saints?
I think my biggest skill set is that I am a versatile linemen that can play both guard and tackle on either side. Being flexible and willing to learn whatever the team needs is what I am looking to do.
What’s an area of your game that you want to improve on with the coaching of Doug Marone and veteran offensive linemen?
My number goal in the break before we come back for camp is to get consistent in my pass protection and become more confident in the technique needed to be successful in this league.
You’ve played both guard and tackle, do you see yourself having a versatile role on the Saints line as well?
I have been sticking with right tackle so far, but I’ve been trying to just take notes on both guard and tackle and make sure that if I need to be thrown in at a different spot I will be prepared.
And between the two positions, which one feels more natural for you and easier to get down in the Saints scheme?
I feel like at this point I’ve down a couple years at guard and a couple at tackle so I would say it just depends on where I’m needed. After that just adjusting back to tackle or guard at left or right.
With training camp coming up, is there a certain guy you’re excited to go up against on the defensive line?
I think our D line is super talented and I don’t really have one guy, but I know I am going to get a lot of good work from the guys across from me. I am looking forward to competing against a great group every day and continuing to learn and get better.
Thats all I have for you. Thank you for doing this and good luck during training camp!
Written by Kadin Janisch
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