Can New Orleans Saints Receivers Catch Up with Drew Brees?

With a glut of appealing options at the wide receiver position, Saints fans must be wondering who Drew will be throwing to this year.

Let’s go through the possibilities one at a time with their strengths, weaknesses and potential for the upcoming year:

Marques Colston:  A big athletic receiver with above average hands and sensational adjustment skills.  Although he’s not a speedster he has adequate acceleration and initial break off the line. His route running isn’t outstanding but is above average. He’s shown time and time again his ability to go into a crowd and come out with the ball.

You can tell that Drew trusts him more than other receivers by some of the throws he is allowed to make plays on. He’s also an above average blocker due mostly to his overwhelming size.

With no other star receiver on the roster it is safe to assume that he will be out there as the No. 1 receiver, albeit it more of a possession receiver than a big play maker.

Lance Moore: After a  breakout year in 2008 (thanks Drew), Lance may not improve too much this year due to physical limitations. He’s quick off the line, but his top speed is relatively average. He runs nice, but not spectacular routes.

His hands are solid, but he has the unfortunate tendency to catch with his body. Lack of a specific strength will probably limit his overall production as a pro. With someone else as his QB it's unlikely he would have had a 900 yd, 10 TD receiving year.

That being said, Drew trusts him more than anyone besides Colston which is pretty meaningful in Sean Payton’s mind. He will wind up as the number two guy to start the preseason, but he could easily be pushed back to the three if Meachem or Henderson take a step forward.

It must be noted that he has been nursing injuries all preseason, making it questionable if he will be at 100 percent to compete for a starting job.

Devery Henderson: The local speedster from LSU had his best year yet, but is far from a complete package. Although his speed is top 10 in the NFL, his route running remains sub-par and his hands are dodgy at best.

He’s best at running straight down field with a single slight cut. Rumor has it he has really focused this off season in hopes of becoming the number two option, but unless he has made huge strides it seems unlikely he will improve his 2008 numbers by anything more than a few long touchdowns.

That being said he is our most deadly downfield option and could be used extremely effectively with Reggie in spreading out the defense to allow Drew to cut up zones. Defenses can’t ignore his 25 yard per catch average. After signing a 3 year contract this offeason he should start off as the number three guy. 

Robert Meachem: After missing his entire rookie season nobody expected too much out of the former first round pick. He delivered exactly that. Despite an injury to Colston and the opportunity to take a larger role, Meachem never really delivered.

He averaged an impressive 24.1 yards per catch, but caught a pitiful 12 balls in 14 games in limited action. He has incredible catching ability with above average size and speed.  It appeared that he was the real deal after being drafted out of Tennessee as a junior, but his route running has been well below average thus far in his young career.

He worked out all off season at Sonic Boom Conditioning and Strength Training Academy in Jefferson where he claims to have got his strength and explosiveness back.

Adding to that, he recently he put on quite a performance at an open workout while lining up with the starting offensive unit where he made a number of spectacular catches as well as more conventional ones. Drew Brees even gave him a vote of confidence.

He will start out the preseason as the number four receiver, but will be given every opportunity to shine. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him wind up as the number two guy by the end of the year.