New Orleans Saints: 5 Best players under 25 on the roster

2. Marcus Davenport, DE

The Saints trading up — and paying heavily — to draft Marcus Davenport was a shocking decision. However, Davenport was quick to shut down all of his doubters. In his rookie season, he missed three games but managed to rack up 4.5 sacks and over 20 combined tackles. As for his sophomore season, Davenport was plagued with an injury that caused him to miss three games but still had six sacks and 31 combined tackles.

Heading into the 2020 season, Davenport should be healthy thus leading to a more productive season than we’ve seen before. We saw some slight improvement from his rookie year to his second season but 2020 could truly be his breakout year. If Davenport bounces back, he’ll easily be one of the top players on defense.

1. Marshon Lattimore, CB

Last but certainly not least is the Saints’ best player under 25 — it had to be Marshon Lattimore. At only 24 years old, Lattimore has quickly become a key component and leader for the Saints defense. As the team’s first-round pick in 2017, Lattimore quickly adapted to the NFL and he hasn’t looked back since. We saw a slight dip in production mostly due to Lattimore dealing with a hamstring injury in 2019.

As long as Lattimore is healthy, he’s poised to re-establish himself as a top corner in the league. In particular, he’s been great at nabbing interceptions and going toe-to-toe with some of the league’s biggest stars. It’ll be interesting to see how he deals with the new-look Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Either way, Lattimore has proven himself as one of the best young cornerbacks in the league. When healthy, he’s unstoppable. Defensively, the New Orleans Saints are still a young team but having guys like Lattimore on the roster is exactly why they’re considered one of the best defensive units in the league.