These are the New Orleans Saints’ five best players under 25 years old.
The New Orleans Saints are easily one of the most promising NFL teams. Every year, they seem to get bigger and better. While Drew Brees and the team’s veterans have been part of the core, the franchise’s ability to draft well has been critical to their sustained success.
Heading into the 2020 NFL season, the Saints roster is a nice blend of veterans and younger players who will play key roles for this team. Of those younger guys, there are a number of great players under 25 years old. That’s why narrowing it down to five for the purpose of this list was quite a difficult task.
Being young can often be a detriment to success but, with the New Orleans Saints, it’s largely rejuvenated the team. Brees is still in his Super Bowl window and the key young contributors are a big part of that. And with that, let’s dive into the five best players under 25 years old.
5. Erik McCoy, C
Following the retirement of Max Unger, the Saints made it a priority in the 2019 draft to move up and select Erik McCoy as his replacement. That has turned out to be a great move immediately.
In his rookie season, McCoy was a more than suitable replacement for Unger, winning the starting job and performing well in the trenches. He didn’t miss any games and was a key part in why the Saints were again able to establish themselves as one of the best offenses in the NFL.
McCoy is now entrenched in a starting role, even with New Orleans using a first-round pick in 2020 on Cesar Ruiz. Ruiz moving to guard feels like the more likely option as the 2019 selection appears to be the long-time starter in the middle given the value he’s already shown. And at just 23 years old, he should only get better with time.