3 Players to Watch at Saints Camp Day 5

Monday is the first day of padded practices, opening unique opportunities for New Orleans Saints rookies along the trenches.

Training camp is moving on to its next phase for the New Orleans Saints. As the heat turns up in the city, so too will it on the field as players put on pads for the first time. This is an important step forward for trench players along the offensive and defensive lines, but especially so for three young rookies looking to prove they can be impact players immediately.

Sep 18, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey (7) celebrates after a sack in the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

DE Isaiah Foskey

Foskey jumped off the field on Saturday showing his ability to be impactful around the edge both against the run and pass. Now, with things getting a little more chippy in the trenches, we will get an opportunity to watch Foskey compete with power as opposed to speed and athleticism. We know he can win with the latter, but the former is going to be keenly in focus Monday.

DL Bryan Bresee

The Saints' first round selection has shown early promise. He has worked his way up to first team reps and now has the opportunity to really stand out with the pads coming on. There's no doubt that Bresee will be an impactful player as a pass-rusher, but his run stopping ability will be what is most under the microscope throughout training camp.

As the physicality ticks up with pads over the next couple days, he gets a chance to engage in his brand of football. Bresee has always been a strong, physical player and now the game is about to catch up to him after he has spent the offseason thus far catching up the NFL game.

OL Nick Saldiveri

While a lot of attention has been going to offensive linemen like Andrus Peat and James Hurst, Saldiveri has been working his way up. Now, he gets a chance to show what he can do with more contact and how reliable he can be with more familiar action taking place.

With offensive lineman Trai Turner headed to injured reserve, Saldiveri's lane to compete becomes a bit more clear. He, Hurst, Peat and Throckmorton get a real chance now to show more of what they can do on the interior.