Over 30 The New Orleans Saints have a young core with 2016 New Orleans Saints Hats , 2017, and 2018 draft classes. The Saints have Sheldon Rankins, Michael Thomas, Vonn Bell, and David Onyemata from 2016. Then they have Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Williams, Alvin Kamara, and Alex Anzalone from 2017. The Saints were also able to add Marcus Davenport and Tre’Quan Smith in 2018. Players like Terron Armstead, Mark Ingram, Cam Jordan, and Ken Crawley are still in their respective primes. The New Orleans Saints look ready to compete in 2018 and beyond. But even with all of their young players, the Saints also have a stable core of veterans. Two of those veterans ranked among Bleacher Report’s Top 30 over 30. The first player who showed up on the list might come as a bit of a surprise: the recently re-signed Patrick Robinson, #30:The next Saints player isn’t much of a shock at all New Orleans Saints Hoodie , Saints QB Drew Brees comes #4:The only three above Brees are Tom Brady of the New England Patriots at #1, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers at ,2# and Calais Campbell of the Jacksonville Jaguars #3.Three Saints Veterans Who Could Be Released Before Training Camp The New Orleans Saints have one of the more talented rosters in the NFL. Last year, they won the NFC South and made a run in the playoffs despite multiple injuries at different positions. This offseason, the team clearly focused on adding depth with the majority of their moves in free agency and the draft. They felt comfortable enough with their offseason additions that they released veteran linebackers Michael Mauti and Adam Bighill last week, just a week after letting go of tight end Coby Fleener. Today, we have a look at a few more veterans who could be facing the end of their Saints careers, perhaps even before the team begins mandatory mini-camp in June or training camp in late July. De'Vante Harris, CB Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SportsHarris has suffered a long dropoff from the beginning of the 2017 season, when he was a starting cornerback in the team's season opener against Minnesota. He came to New Orleans as an undrafted rookie in 2016, and played well enough to be among the top cornerback options for the Saints through training camp last year. He struggled mightily in coverage early in the '17 season, quickly getting benched and used only on special teams units, where his play was often inconsistent at best. The Saints cornerback position is suddenly crowded with talent. Marshon Lattimore is the reigning defensive rookie of the year, and Ken Crawley played well as the starter opposite Lattimore. The team re-signed Patrick Robinson this offseason Customized New Orleans Saints Jerseys , a former Saints first round pick who played for New Orleans from 2010-14, and still has P.J. Williams, who intercepted two passes as a part-time starter a year ago. The Saints also expect big improvements from Arthur Maulet, who made the team as an undrafted rookie last year, along with special teams standout Justin Hardee. They then added even more talented competition through the draft, with Natrell Jamerson (5th round), Kamrin Moore (6th round), and Linden Stephens (undrafted), making this perhaps the most hotly contested position on the team entering training camp. Harris has clearly regressed from the player who latched on to a roster spot in the summer of '16, and faced an uphill battle to make the team to begin with, but now may be jettisoned before the final roster battle begins. Tommylee Lewis, WR/KRPhoto by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesLewis made the roster as an undrafted free agent in 2016, then held the spot again last year due to standout performances in preseason. The Saints had hoped that he would take over primary kick and punt return duties, while also providing a big play threat as a backup receiver. Lewis has been largely ineffective as a kick returner www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com , averaging less than 10 yards per punt return, just 21 yards per kickoff return, and was replaced by Alvin Kamara on the kick return unit down the stretch last season. He's caught just 17 passes in two seasons, often struggling to consistently make plays in the open field, as was expected of him. The Saints used a 3rd round pick on Tre'quan Smith, acquired Cameron Meredith through free agency, and also re-signed Brandon Coleman. A receiving corps that struggled to produce last year outside of starters Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn looks like it's been significantly upgraded, perhaps leaving Lewis as the odd man out. The return units look deeper as well, with the addition of rookies Natrell Jamerson and Boston Scott, both of whom showed explosive open field abilities in college. Michael Hoomanawanui, TEPhoto by Sean Gardner/Getty Images"Hooman" has been a valuable run blocker and used effectively in the Saints' short yardage packages since his arrival to the team in 2015. He missed the '16 season with a knee injury, but bounced back nicely last year, helping New Orleans to the 5th best rushing attack in the league. Although he has proven to be a decent weapon near the goal line, Hoomanawanui adds little as a receiving threat New Orleans Saints T-Shirt , limiting the Saints passing options when he's in the lineup. The offseason return of Benjamin Watson, who played for New Orleans from 2013-15, gives the team a dual receiving and blocking factor in the starting lineup. Although the team did not draft a tight end, if the coaching staff feels comfortable with the potential of undrafted rookies Deon Yelder and Cam Serigne, or if they perhaps add another veteran free agent, such as Antonio Gates, then they may decide to cut ties with Hoomanawanui or fellow veteran Josh Hill before camp convenes. There do not appear to be any big name veteran players for New Orleans in jeopardy of being released by June 1, a date when many players throughout the league will be released for salary cap reasons. The recent cuts of Fleener, Mauti, and Bighill does show that the Saints feel comfortable with their offseason attempts to upgrade depth at many positions on the team. New Orleans still will have to make a number of moves as they set their roster limit moving towards the start of training camp. The Saints have 3 OTA sessions between now and their June 12th mini-camp, the first of which begins this week. They've already shown no hesitation in moving on from veterans who performed below their expectations, even coming off of a division championship season. We can expect more moves of the same on what looks to be a New Orleans squad with several deep roster positions.
