The New Orleans Saints rookie class has enjoyed an eventful preseason, with first-round draft picks Chris Olave and Trevor Penning flashing early and often. Olave has already excited fans with his first touchdown catch in a Saints uniform, while Penning has shown marked improvement from one week to the next. They’ll have another opportunity to impress in front of fans on Friday night against the Los Angeles Chargers in their final preseason game.
But how do Olave and Penning stack up against their rookie teammates? Here’s our top 10 going into the Chargers exhibition game:
1
CB Vincent Gray
Gray has played a lot of snaps on defense through the first two preseason games, but he’s also the only defender to draw multiple penalties (he was flagged twice against the Houston Texans, once for illegal contact and once for unnecessary roughness). He’s got good size for the position, competes hard, and is a good fit for the practice squad.
2
TE Lucas Krull
You’d like to see Krull ranked higher, but he just hasn’t done enough to warrant it. A late-summer injury has limited him to just 12 snaps on offense, and his lone reception (which would have scored a touchdown) was undone by a bogus penalty for offensive pass interference. Maybe that low usage rate helps him pass through waivers and catch with the practice squad.
3
DT Jordan Jackson
The Saints made it a point to get Jackson snaps (his 57 reps on offense lead all of their defensive linemen), which makes sense given how raw he was coming out of the Air Force Academy. But he hasn’t been very active as a pass rusher or in run defense, and he looks like a player who needs a year on the practice squad to find his footing in the NFL.
4
RT Lewis Kidd
Kidd has struggled to deal with NFL-quality edge rushers (yielding 4 quarterback pressures and a holding penalty), and his transition from Montana State hasn’t been helped by the Saints flipping him from left tackle to right tackle as a rookie. But he’s probably their best bet to back up Ryan Ramczyk should Landon Young’s injury continue to sideline him.
5
CB DaMarcus Fields
It’s easy to like Fields, who has played more snaps on defense (88) than anyone while also getting a lot of looks on special teams. He competes hard in run defense and has responded well to a lot of attention in coverage while lining up both out wide and in the slot. He hasn’t allowed a catch of longer than 15 yards while breaking up a pair of passes. He probably needs more work (an inopportune holding penalty in Green Bay wiped out a successful third-down stand) before he’s ready to join the 53-man roster, but if the Saints trade a veteran player he’d likely be the next guy up from the practice squad.
6
RB Abram Smith
There’s been almost as much good as bad from Smith. He runs hard and has more pop than some of his competitors – it’s no accident that he’s outlasted both Malcolm Brown and Devine Ozigbo, and taken this roster battle with Tony Jones Jr. to the third preseason game. But he lacks the top-end speed to take full advantage of an open crease and hit the open field. He’s also fumbled once already this preseason. Hopefully he can end the summer on a high note against L.A.
7
WR Dai’Jean Dixon
He’s been overshadowed by the players on top of the depth chart and some other young standouts like Kirk Merritt, but Dixon has quietly put in the work to push for a spot on the practice squad. He hasn’t been charged with a drop on five targets, catching three of them, while converting a pair of first downs. And while he may not be the blocker that Tre’Quan Smith or Kawaan Baker is, Dixon’s size gives him an advantage he’s already beginning to make use of. He’s on the right track.
8
LB Nephi Sewell
It was a real bummer to see D’Marco Jackson go down with a season-ending injury, but Sewell’s emergence on the second-team defense has been really encouraging to see. He’s just out there playing technically-sound football, correctly reading his keys in run defense and dropping to appropriate depth in coverage. He moves well enough laterally to compete against most throws sent his way, and he doesn’t miss tackles or commit penalties. He’s just a steady player. Take that with his high usage on special teams (getting in on five of the six kicking units) and you’ve got a player who looks like a solid backup that can dress on Sundays.
9
LT Trevor Penning
The preseason started off really rough for Penning, but he’s taken to coaching well and is rapidly making progress. Maybe not enough progress to start in Week 1 ahead of a healthy James Hurst, but he’s trending in the right direction. Penning’s exactly as fearsome a run blocker as we expected him to be, and he’s beginning to apply that same attitude to his pass protection. He just needs more reps against NFL competition, which should come on Friday night.
10
WR Chris Olave
No doubt about it: Olave is on top, having met every benchmark put in front of him so far. He’s looked the part of a talented playmaker who dominated the college level for a long time, and we’re really excited to see what he can do once Jameis Winston is throwing the ball his way. He has been getting open downfield often but Ian Book has struggled to find him while under pressure playing behind New Orleans’ backup blockers.
