Chris Olave had the best game of his career against the Detroit Lions, and it made it easy for DeVaughn Vele to fly under the radar. He was quietly one of the biggest standouts for the New Orleans Saints, delivering when the offense needed it the most.
Vele finished the day with 69 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. The two most standout catches on the day were his touchdown reception and a late 4th quarter catch for 31 yards.
The release on his touchdown catch was beautiful, giving Vele an instant victory off the line, then he made a strong diving catch for the Saints' first score. Diving was a common theme as he made another diving effort to haul in Tyler Shough’s pass deep downfield. The was on a third down in the fourth quarter, and there’s a chance the Saints don’t go for it if he doesn’t make the catch, and that could have been the difference between going to OT and losing in regulation.
Devaughn Vele is going to exceed expectations in 2026
Vele has been a bit of a forgotten man in the Saints' receiving corps. Olave is the star, Tyson is the top-10 pick with all of the expectations around him, plus the injury conversation, and Bryce Lance and Barion Brown were offseason stars as rookies. Meanwhile, it was crickets on Vele throughout the offseason.
The expectation was for the Olave-Tyson duo to light up the box score. Tyson's absence gives Vele a chance to show why he should have never been left out of that conversation, and he did exactly that in the season opener.
The receiver has a large frame that often puts him in the big body receiver category. On Sunday, he gave proof of why he’s that and so much more. He's nimble and can be a factor down the field as well.
Vele's stats will look different when Tyson returns from injury, but he will still be a major factor. People have put him on the backburner of sorts and spoken about the receiving corps like a two man party. In just one week, Vele has disproven that notion.
The Saints will feature Vele heavily over the first four weeks, and he could get close to his career high 473 yards and three touchdowns in that space. It would be more of a surprise if he doesn't pass those numbers this season, and going into the year, it wasn't many people who felt that way.
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