The New Orleans Saints are stepping into a new era led by Kellen Moore, Tyler Shough and a quietly strong core of young talent. That latter piece isn't spoken about frequently, but recent praise put a spotlight on just how good the Saints are under the age of 25. Kelvin Banks Jr., Jonas Sanker and Jordyn Tyson were specifically highlighted as the top commodities on the team in the age range.
ESPN's Aaron Schatz ranked every NFL team based their talent that'll be 25 or younger on Sept 1, and the Saints came in at 13th. That's a big jump from their 24th ranking a year ago. It's no coincidence that jump coincides with the jump in optimism and expectations.
Schatz put a special emphasis on blue chip players, who "are the top 60 cornerstone assets around the league from whom teams will likely derive their biggest future value." That's where Banks, Sanker and Tyson come into play.
Tyler Shough isn’t even included in Saints’ rankings
Drafting a quarterback and being regarded has having one of the 15 best young cores in the league is a sign that you got your guy in most cases. This isn’t most cases, however, and that’s what makes the Saints’ placement special.Â
Shough is already 26 years old, disqualifying him from consideration. Even without Shough the Saints come in 13th in terms of young talent.
Shough the focus of optimism, but these rankings go to prove fans have reasons to believe in the team long term beyond just the quarterback.Â
Banks Jr., Sanker and Tyson represent three different aspects of the team, and they’re all listed as blue chip players. That’s two premier positions, and Sanker plays a premier position in Brandon Staley’s defense. The impact of those players alone could lift the team.
The list of young talent doesn’t stop there. Sanker is in a secondary with Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley. Bryan Bresee is a strong pass rusher in the interior and showed improved run defense last season. The Saints paired him with second round pick Christen Miller, giving the Saints a high ceiling duo in the interior defensive line.Â
Like Shough, Olave barely missed the cut. He turned 26 less than a month ago. In reality, both he and Shough are young pillars of the team. They may not meet this technical criteria, but they are arguably the largest young building blocks on the squad.Â
Shough specifically is not just a part, he’s the most important part as the quarterback. He’s the glue of it all, but the rankings show what the Saints are without him in the fold. Having a strong supporting cast around a surging young quarterback gives hope for the present and future.Â
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