Former New Orleans Saint Linebacker Ronald Powell Dead At 32

Former New Orleans Saint Linebacker Ronald Powell Dead At 32

Former New Orleans Saints linebacker Ronald Powell died Monday at the age of 32, the NFL Players Association announced on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear how the former University of Florida standout died.

The Saints drafted Powell in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft following an injury-plagued college career. He told The Times-Picayune in 2014 what it was like to get a call from the Saints after he was drafted.

 

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“It was a wonderful feeling, because you’re sitting there and you don’t know when your name is going to be called,” Powell said in July of 2014.

“To get a call from Sean Payton was a great experience because being here with the Saints, you get a chance to go to the playoffs and compete for a championship every year. So obviously they got a great mentality that defensive players want to play for. So I was all on board.”

Listed at 6-foot-3, 247 pounds, the California native was an impressive figure at linebacker when the Saints drafted him. He was rated a five-star prospect out of Rancho Verde High School, and was considered one of the nation’s top defensive ends when he signed with Florida.Former Saints defensive end Junior Galette expressed his sadness over the passing of Powell in a social media post on Monday.

“I Love You Forever till we meet again an EXCELLENT FATHER Respected Brother and a Loving Son I am saddened to shared with the rest of the world that Ronald Powell Transitioned Earlier today. REST IN POWER RONALD POWELL,” Galette said in a post on X.