It seems that every year there is some young talented UDFA brought in by the Saints during training camp that fans fall in love with. Most of them either fizzle out or never even make the team in the first place, but New Orleans might have the best track record in the league for finding quality offensive talent among the ranks of the undrafted. At this point there is little novelty in it, or at least there wouldn’t be if there were a running back. Names like Joique Bell and Chris Ivory should ring a bell for any Saints fans out there as they are the names of previous training camp studs. The Saints front office might have decided not to keep them, but their exploits in New Orleans has made both of them starters on other team’s rosters (Bell in Detroit and Ivory on the Jets).
Now you might be wondering what on earth the exploits of a pair of running backs has to do with the Saints current diamond in the rough Willie Snead…a receiver. That is actually what makes Snead such a novelty to me. The last time the team found a UDFA wr of any substance it was Lance Moore (he of the epic TD celebrations and incredible 2-pt conversions), and Snead is damn near a carbon copy of Moore. It isn’t rare for the team to have a undrafted wide out look good in camp, Andy Tanner is adding to the list of Saints records himself with his unbelievable number of transactions. However, not since Moore has there been a player at that position who not only can make plays…he BELONGS. Willie Snead belongs on this team. Period.
I can’t guarantee that he will make the final 53-man roster, but Snead possesses one of the most coveted talents in the NFL in spades, he can get open. More importantly he can get open consistently and can catch almost anything. If you have any doubt of how valuable a possession receiver who can get open at will and never drops a pass is, just Google the name Wes Welker. Snead has actually drawn some comparisons to Welker over his time in camp which furthers his case in my eyes, but the bottom line is he is too good to let go. The Saint shave their star in Brandin Cooks (I told you so is so much fun), they have Colston for his last good year or two, and maybe they have something in Brandon Coleman. But what they don’t have is someone who they can line up on any down (other than Cooks), against any opponent, send him out there, and expect to see the chains move.
It might not be the highest profile or the flashiest ability a receiver can have, but someone who can move the chains is almost invaluable to a team. Snead has that skill set. He also has the drive and the motivation to want to become not only the ‘next Lance Moore’, but to be better than Moore was in New Orleans. Those were his own words and at this point, I believe it would take a total collapse on his part to lose his spot on the team. Be sure to watch how he plays against the Texans closely, because if he looks the same as he has up to this point he is going to be on the Saints 2015 roster.
Payton’s offense is explosive, and that is the part that everyone remembers, but as much as we have missed Darren Sproles I think we have missed prime Lance Moore even more. The number of times that Brees would go to him on third down at a big moment in a game is more than I care to count, and I can’t think of any times Moore failed to deliver (although I’m sure it happened once or twice). Lance Moore was a true ‘all purpose’ receiver who could run any and every route with precision, who had a knack for finding holes to get open in, and had some of the best hands I’ve ever seen. Do you know what I just did? I described Snead. The only difference is Moore had years to dazzle us with his abilities, and Snead is just getting started. I could be jumping the ship on this one, but it’s my own personal belief that Willie Snead is going to become the next ‘name to know’ in New Orleans.
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