4. Marcus Williams, S
Marcus Williams may have been on the wrong end of the Minnesota Miracle but that shouldn’t completely color who he is as a player. That missed tackle was highly viewed and unfortunate but it was also just one play. In terms of everything else that the young safety has done to this point, he belongs on this list.
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In three seasons with the Saints, Williams has improved every year. Last season, Williams notched a handful of forced fumbles and also hauled in four interceptions. He may not have consistent tackling numbers but that could indicate increased effectiveness in coverage.
His production and improvement over his career are worth noting. He’s certainly not the most popular player on the defense but he’s one of the more promising young safeties in the NFL.
3. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, DB
Keeping with the safety theme, another guy who is on the verge of breaking out is Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. The Florida product fell to the Saints in the fourth round in 2019 and it was immediately apparent what great value they got with that pick. As a rookie, he finished with 49 combined tackles, one interception and one forced fumble. And he also showed a nack for making big plays on the back end.
With Vonn Bell now on the Bengals, it’s Gardner-Johnson’s time to shine. He’s a heavy hitter and teams will know his name soon enough. Gardner-Johnson also played a role on special teams. As long as he can continue to cover guys as he did last season, the New Orleans Saints could have a future star on their hands. In particular, it’ll be exciting to see how he matches up against Gronk who he had a lot to say about.