Top 25 Saints of 2020: No. 5, Demario Davis

Demario Davis has been one of the best free agent additions the Saints have ever landed, and this could be his best season yet.

The New Orleans Saints started padded practices on Monday, to the delight of many. Multiple gems and videos came out from the first session, and more will certainly follow. However, we'll have to wait until Wednesday for that to happen. We keep looking at our top players for the 2020 season, and today's spotlight focuses on a key ingredient on defense. But first, let's recap.

The Countdown

• No. 25, Latavius Murray | No. 24, Taysom Hill | No. 23, C.J. Gardner-Johnson
• No. 22, Malcom Brown | No. 21, Marcus Williams | No. 20, Deonte Harris
• No. 19, Andrus Peat | No. 18, Cesar Ruiz | No. 17, Janoris Jenkins
• No. 16, Thomas Morstead | No. 15, Wil Lutz | No. 14, Marcus Davenport
• No. 13, Erik McCoy | No. 12, David Onyemata | No. 11, Malcolm Jenkins
• No. 10, Emmanuel Sanders | No. 9, Jared Cook | No. 8, Marshon Lattimore
• No. 7, Terron Armstead | No. 6, Ryan Ramczyk

Nov 10, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Demario Davis (56) reacts after a play against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

No. 5 - Demario Davis

The Saints hit the lottery when they signed Demario Davis in free agency. He's been a stellar leader and solid staple at linebacker for New Orleans, something that is reminiscent of the Jonathan Vilma days. Davis was an Associated Press First-Team All-Pro in 2019, as he ranked tops on the defense with 111 total stops. He also had four sacks, an interception, and 11 pass defenses last season.

Davis was the highest-graded linebacker in the NFL last season out of 91 total, according to Pro Football Focus. He finished at 90.3 overall, appearing in 1,063 snaps. It was by far the best grade of Davis' career, as he's increased from 75.1 in 2018. Furthermore, Davis was the only linebacker that graded at an 80.0 or better in all four weighted categories (run defense, tackling, pass-rush, coverage).

"I wasn’t even aware it was an interception, I was going for the ball anticipating a fumble recovery." -@demario__davis
"The fact you didn’t know you made one of the best interceptions in the game this year's a hilarious thing." -@PatMcAfeeShow on @demario__davis's interception pic.twitter.com/ICN2eelOif

— Pat McAfee Show Quotes (@PatMcAfeequotes) November 18, 2019

Davis' Outlook in 2020

Demario Davis returns for what is currently the final season with the Saints. While that can absolutely change, he's playing out the last year of his original three-year free agency deal. He'll continue to anchor the middle and be used in nickel packages. The best part of Davis' game is that he can do anything that's asked of him. If you need him to blitz, he'll get there. If he's asked for coverage, he can execute it flawlessly. 

Davis is finally getting more recognition and praise around the league, coming in at No. 67 on the NFL's Top 100 Player List recently. It was a difficult decision not placing Davis higher on this list, but everyone knows the next four players coming and what they bring to the table. As long as Davis is in the lineup, the Saints will have a formidable defense on the field.