4 Saints players who could lose their jobs to rookies

3. Andrus Peat could lose starting spot to Nick Saldiveri

Andrus Peat appeared to be a sure thing when he entered the NFL in 2015. A product of Stanford, he had the size (6-foot-7 and 315 pounds) and makeup to be a starting offensive tackle for years. That's why the Saints were thrilled to use the No. 11 overall pick to bring him to New Orleans.

However, Peat never fit on the outside and was quickly moved to guard. For the past eight years, he's been the primary starter at left guard. While he's been up and down for much of his career, he's done well enough to remain a starter and even earned a five-year, $57.5 million extension in 2020.

The problem is, he's coming off a season in which he earned a 50.6 grade from PFF, and was ranked No. 68 overall at the position. That's why it wouldn't be a surprise to see someone like Nick Saldiveri push him for his job.

Saldiveri has all the tools to be a starter in the NFL and likely only fell to Round 4 due to the lack of elite competition on the schedule for him during his days at Old Dominion.

Having said that, Peat's PFF grades have always been low and the Saints have held onto him despite this, so maybe he stays put again — but they would be wise to see if Saldiveri can be an upgrade.