Vaccaro tracked tight ends like Tony Gonzalez and Greg Olsen one-on-one, but he also matched up well with Carolina's Steve Smith. He even covered Brandon Marshall and Larry Fitzgerald in the slot. Saints coach Sean Payton said they drafted Vaccaro in part because of his performance against Tavon Austin in college. Injuries around Vaccaro forced him to play cornerback more as the season progressed. His effectiveness went up in the second half of the season even if he didn't make a lot of big plays.