Saints WR Depth Chart, Post Draft

Will the offseason addition of Emmanuel Sanders give the Saints enough production at wide receiver to compliment the talents of Michael Thomas?

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas broke an NFL record with 149 receptions in 2019, totaling a league-leading 1,745 yards and catching 9 touchdowns. It was the third straight season of at least 100 catches for Thomas, who has also increased his production and surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in all four of his professional seasons.

While Thomas is the league’s most productive wideout and may be headed to a Hall of Fame career, the rest of the New Orleans wideouts have not produced consistently. Tre'Quan Smith was the team’s second highest producing wideout in 2018 with only 28 catches for 427 yards, and Ted Ginn Jr. was the second leading wideout last season with a mere 30 receptions for 421 yards.

The Saints added 33-Yr old receiver Emmanuel Sanders during free agency. Sanders has six years of at least 700 receiving yards and is still playing at a top level after ten seasons. New Orleans did not select a wide receiver in the recently concluded draft, but signed two undrafted rookies. Today we look at how the team’s depth chart at this position shapes up two months before the start of training camp.

WIDE RECEIVER

Oct 20, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) makes a catch against Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller (23) during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

• Michael Thomas
• Emmanuel Sanders
• Tre'Quan Smith
• Deonte Harris
• Lil'Jordan Humphrey
• Emmanuel Butler
• Krishawn Hogan
• Austin Carr
• Tommylee Lewis
• Juwan Johnson*
• Marquez Callaway*
• Maurice Harris
• Tim White

*=Rookie 

Michael Thomas is one of the league’s best offensive weapons and has already set several NFL records for his production. He’s a big and physical receiver who is nearly unstoppable through the short and intermediate zones with the athleticism to beat defenses deep. Thomas is a precise route runner with incredible hands and body control to make the hard catches in traffic look routine.

November 11, 2019; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (17) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin (26) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The addition of Sanders brings a bonafide receiving threat to at the position to compliment Thomas for the first time in three years. He’s an accomplished receiver from either the slot or outside who has averaged 69 receptions for 904 yards per year over his last eight seasons. Sanders can make deep plays, but also works through intermediate routes like an expert and has an outstanding body control along the sideline.

Dec 8, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith (10) escapes a tackle attempt of San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) on a touchdown during the fourth quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

With Ginn departing as a free agent this offseason, Tre’Quan Smith has the next most experience in the New Orleans offense after Thomas at receiver. Smith is entering his third NFL season but has done little to convince anyone that he can be a consistent complimentary weapon. An ankle injury last slowed him last season, limiting him to 18 receptions for 234 yards in eleven games. Smith has 10 touchdown receptions over his two years, but completely disappears for long stretches. He has good size and speed but does not operate well in traffic and doesn’t run sharp enough routes to gain separation from defensive backs.

September 15, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Deonte Harris (11) runs the ball on a punt return against Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Mike Thomas (88) during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Deonte Harris was one of several undrafted rookies signed by New Orleans after the 2019 draft. The diminutive (5’6” tall) from tiny Assumption College had an enormous impact as a rookie, earning All-Pro honors as he established himself as the league’s most dangerous kickoff and punt returner. Harris changed the momentum of several contests with his dynamic returns but wasn’t used much offensively, catching just six regular season passes for 24 yards. He caught a 50-Yd pass in the Saints playoff loss to Minnesota though, showing off his gamebreaking deep threat potential. Harris may be too small to hold up to every down pounding as a receiver, but his electric open field skills should be a bigger factor in the offense this coming season.

Aug 29, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey (84) catches a pass past Miami Dolphins defensive back Montre Hartage (41) during a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Emmanuel Butler were the other two undrafted rookies that joined Harris on the Saints roster in 2019. Butler was stashed on the practice squad once he tailed off after a promising start to training camp. Humphrey came on as preseason progressed and saw action in five regular season games, though he did not catch a pass. Both are big receivers at 6’4” and over 220-Lbs that play physically through the intermediate zones and could have bigger roles in the New Orleans offense.

Nov 2, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Juwan Johnson (6) carries the ball past USC Trojans cornerback Olaijah Griffin (2) to score a touchdown in the second half of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Juwan Johnson and Marquez Callaway were added as undrafted free agents following this year’s draft. Callaway was an effective deep threat at the University of Tennessee, while Johnson is a bigger target with good athleticism that flashed great potential at first Penn State then Oregon. The Saints also re-signed veterans Austin Carr, Tommylee Lewis, and Krishawn Hogan, who know the system well and will compete for roles in the slot.

Dec 22, 2019; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) breaks the record for receptions in a season with this touchdown reception during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans had the league’s 7th best passing attack in 2019 despite having little contribution from the wide receiver position outside of the record-setting exploits of Michael Thomas. Adding Sanders should make opposing secondaries shift some of their coverage focus away from Thomas, who has thrived in spite of double and triple teams against him. The Saints will still need another of their wideouts to step up their production to be a more well-rounded offense. Smith has had two years of opportunity, and may face challenges from Deonte Harris, Humphrey, Butler, or one of this year’s undrafted rookie free agents.

Follow Bob Rose at the Saints News Network on Twitter- @bobbyr2613 and @SaintsNews.