Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 New Orleans Saints.
As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.
Last year, the Saints had a winning record (9-8) but were unable to make the playoffs. The veteran team had one new entrant and multiple elevations.
As always, we present our top five, which saw a change:
1. Drew Brees
2. Jahri Evans
3. Rickey Jackson
4. Cameron Jordan
5. Willie Roaf
You can find the entire list here.
Jordan overtook Roaf for the #4 spot.
Running Back Alvin Kamara had a solid year but was unable to move ahead of his #8 rank.
Wide Receiver Michael Thomas moved up only one spot to #11.
Linebacker DeMario Davis had a huge jump, going from #33 to #15.
Right Tackle Ryan Ramczyk climbed to #26 from #34.
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore went up five spots to #37.
Left Guard Andrus Peat, now with Las Vegas, went up one spot to #40.
The lone new entry is Taysom Hill. He debuts at #45.
We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.
Michael Thomas was a star Wide Receiver at Ohio State, where he helped the Buckeyes win the College Football Playoff in 2015. The following season, he was taken in the Second Round by the New Orleans Saints, where he eventually became the primary weapon of Quarterback, Drew Brees.
2023 Pre-Season Rank #46, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #38, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #41, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #49. Peak Period: 2016-20
In 2019, Thomas made history as the first Wide Receiver (the first being Jerry Rice) to win the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Not only was he the NFL's WR1, but his future looked so bright that it involved a gold jacket. Since then, Thomas has dealt with ankle and foot issues, missed all of 2021, and only played in 20 Games from 2020 to 2023.
He enters this season no longer as a Saint and is a Free Agent looking for work. The Hall seems so far away now, but the Saints Hall of Fame is a lock for him. Sadly, this is another case of injuries derailing what would have been phenomenal.