Saiid Paulson Adebo (born July 3, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Early life
Adebo attended Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Texas. He played defensive back and wide receiver in high school. He originally committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football but changed to Stanford University.[1][2]
College career
After not appearing in any games his first year at Stanford in 2017, Adebo played in 13 games with 12 starts in 2018. He finished the season with 64 tackles and four interceptions.[3][4] He returned as a starter in 2019.[5][6] During his junior season, Adebo had 33 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and 4 interceptions. Despite speculation that he would declare for the 2020 NFL draft, and being listed as the number 2 draft-eligible cornerback by Mel Kiper, Adebo announced that he would return to Stanford for his senior year.[7]
Professional career
Pre-draft
Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked him as the 12th best cornerback prospect in the draft.[8] Lorenz Leinweber of Sports Illustrated ranked Adebo as the 19th best cornerback in the draft and projected him to be selected on the sixth round.[9] NFL draft analysts projected Adebo to be selected as early as the second round to as late as the sixth round.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
198 lb (90 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.44 s | 1.57 s | 2.60 s | 4.13 s | 6.69 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
18 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[10][11][12] | ||||||||||||
New Orleans Saints
2021
The New Orleans Saints selected Adebo in the third round (76th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.[13] The Saints acquired the 76th overall pick they used to draft Adebo after orchestrating a trade where they sent two 2021 third-round picks (98th and 105th overall) to the New York Giants and received the third-round (76th overall) pick in return. Adebo was the 11th cornerback drafted in 2021.
On June 9, 2021, the Saints signed Adebo to a four–year, $5.04 million contract that includes an initial signing bonus of $1.02 million.[14]
Throughout training camp, he competed to be a starting cornerback following the retirement of Janoris Jenkins left a role vacant. He competed against Patrick Robinson until the sudden retirement of Robinson on August 10. The Saints signed Prince Amukamara and held a competition for the starting role at cornerback that also included Brian Poole, Grant Haley, P. J. Williams, and Ken Crawley.[15] Head coach Sean Payton named Adebo the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Marshon Lattimore.
On September 12, 2021, Adebo started in his professional regular season debut and recorded three combined tackles (two solo), a pass deflection, and had his first career interception off a pass thrown by Aaron Rodgers intended for wide receiver Davante Adams as the Saints routed the Green Bay Packers 38–3.[16] The following week, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles (six solo) during a 7–26 loss at the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. On January 9, 2022, Adebo recorded five combined tackles (three solo), a season-high two pass deflections, while intercepting a pass by quarterback Matt Ryan in a 20–30 victory over the Atlanta Falcon.[17] He started in all 17 games as a rookie and finished the 2021 NFL season with a total of 66 combined tackles (55 solo), eight passes defensed, and three interceptions while appearing in 850 (76%) of the team's defensive snaps.[18][19]
2022
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was promoted to head coach following the retirement of Sean Payton. Defensive coordinators Ryan Nielsen and Kris Richard retained Adebo and Marshon Lattimore as the starting cornerback duo to begin the season.[20]
He was inactive for the first two games (Weeks 1–2) of the regular season after injuring his ankle.[21] In Week 4, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles and made a pass deflection during a 25–28 loss against the Minnesota Vikings. He injured his knee and was subsequently sidelined during a 34–42 loss at the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. In Week 12, Adebo made six combined tackles (four solo) and a season-high two pass deflections during a 0–13 loss at the San Francisco 49ers. He missed a 7–10 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 18 due to a hamstring injury. He finished the 2022 NFL season with a total of 60 combined tackles (51 solo) and seven passes defended in 13 games and 12 starts.[22]
2023
He entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback under new defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Head coach Dennis Allen named Adebo the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Marshon Lattimore.[23]
On September 10, 2023, Adebo started in the New Orleans Saints' home-opener against the Tennessee Titans and recorded two solo tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass thrown by Ryan Tannehill to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins during a 15–16 victory.[24] He was inactive for two games (Weeks 3–4) after injuring his hamstring. In Week 8, he made three solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Gardner Minshew to Michael Pittman during a 38–27 victory at the Indianapolis Colts. On November 5, 2023, Adebo made seven combined tackles (five solo), tied his season-high of three pass deflections, forced a fumble, had a fumble recovery, and set a career-high with two interceptions on pass attempts thrown by Tyson Bagent during a 24–17 win over the Chicago Bears. His Week 9 performance earned him the National Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week.[25] In Week 16, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (nine solo) during a 22–30 loss at the Los Angeles Rams. He finished the season with 76 combined tackles (60 solo), 18 pass deflections, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 15 games and 15 starts.[26]
2024
He returned as a starting cornerback and was paired with Marshon Lattimore for the fourth consecutive season.[27] On September 15, 2024, Adebo made five combined tackles (four solo), two pass deflections, and returned an interception thrown by Dak Prescott to wide receiver Jalen Brooks for a season-long 47–yard return during a 44–19 win at the Dallas Cowboys. In Week 4, he collected a career-high 12 combined tackles (ten solo), set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass thrown by Kirk Cousins to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud during a 24–26 loss at the Atlanta Falcons. On October 17, 2014, Adebo recorded six combined tackles (three solo) before sustaining an injury during a collision with running back Javonte Williams and was immediately carted off the field in the second quarter of a 10–33 loss against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Head coach Dennis Allen announced Adebo had broken his femur and will undergo surgery immediately and is ruled out for the rest of the season with an expected recovery time of four to five months.[28] On October 22, 2024, the Saints officially placed him on injured reserve and he was ruled out for the remaining ten games (Weeks 8–18) of the 2024 NFL season.[29] He finished with 52 combined tackles (43 solo), ten pass deflections, and three interceptions in seven games and seven starts.[30] On November 4, 2024, the New Orleans Saints announced their decision to fire head coach Dennis Allen after they fell to a record of 2–7 and appointed special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi to interim head coach for the rest of the season.[31]
New York Giants
On March 13, 2025, Adebo signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the New York Giants.[32]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | ||
| 2021 | NO | 17 | 17 | 66 | 55 | 11 | 0.0 | — | 8 | 3 | 50 | 16.7 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | NO | 13 | 12 | 60 | 51 | 9 | 0.0 | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | NO | 15 | 15 | 76 | 60 | 16 | 0.0 | — | 18 | 4 | 32 | 8.0 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | NO | 7 | 7 | 52 | 43 | 9 | 0.0 | — | 10 | 3 | 68 | 22.67 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 52 | 51 | 254 | 209 | 45 | 0.0 | 0 | 43 | 10 | 150 | 11.84 | 47 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
References
- ^ Gosset, Brian (January 9, 2017). "Mansfield's 4-star recruit Adebo de-commits from Notre Dame". Star-Telegram.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Lefkow, Mike (January 17, 2017). "Stanford flips four-star recruit from Notre Dame". East Bay Times. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ FitzGerald, Tom (August 25, 2018). "Stanford's French-speaking Paulson Adebo will let his play do the talking". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Lombardi, David (September 27, 2018). "Stanford's Paulson Adebo, once committed to Notre Dame, emerges as Duane Akina's next top-flight DB". The Athletic. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Mandel, Stewart (August 29, 2019). "In Paulson Adebo, Stanford has a headliner in more ways than one". The Athletic. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Crepea, James (September 18, 2019). "Can Oregon Ducks receivers get open against Stanford lock-down CB Paulson Adebo?". OregonLive.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Rittenberg, Adam (January 10, 2020). "Stanford CB Paulson Adebo returning for 2020 season". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Dane Brugler (March 22, 2021). "Top 14 cornerbacks for 2021 NFL Draft: Caleb Farley, Patrick Surtain II lead talented pack". NYTimes.com. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
- ^ Lorenz Leinweber (March 22, 2021). "Leinweber's Top 22 Cornerbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft". si.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
- ^ "Paulson Adebo Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Draft Scout Paulson Adebo, Stanford NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ "Paulson Adebo 2021 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints select Paulson Adebo with the 76th pick". NewOrleansSaints.com. April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Ortenberg, Andrew (June 8, 2021). "Saints Sign Entire Draft Class, Restructure Marshon Lattimore". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Mike Triplett (August 10, 2021). "Patrick Robinson retiring, adding to New Orleans Saints' CB dilemma". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints – September 12th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons - January 9th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ "Paulson Adebo 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints 2021 Snap Counts". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Terrin Waack (September 10, 2022). "Saints' depth chart from top to bottom: Breaking down the team as the 2022 season begins". Nola.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ "Fox Sports: Paulson Adebo". foxsports.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ "Paulson Adebo 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ John Sigler (September 7, 2023). "Saints release first depth chart ahead of Week 1 game vs. Titans". saintswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ "Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints - September 10th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ Gordon, Grant (November 8, 2023). "Texans QB C.J. Stroud, Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
- ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Paulson Adebo stats (2023)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ Bob Rose (September 3, 2024). "Unveiled: Saints' Full Depth Chart for Opening Week Showdown With Panthers". SI.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ Terrell, Katherine (October 18, 2024). "Saints CB Adebo (leg surgery) out for season". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ John McKessy (October 18, 2024). "Paulson Adebo injury update: Saints CB breaks femur during 'Thursday Night Football' game". USAToday.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Paulson Adebo stats (2024)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ "Saints relieve head coach Dennis Allen of his duties". neworleanssaints.com. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Salomone, Dan (March 13, 2025). "Giants sign free agent cornerback Paulson Adebo". Giants.com.
External links
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- New Orleans Saints bio
- Stanford Cardinal bio
- Paulson Adebo on Twitter
