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Who’s better?
That question is asked, and those debates happen every day amongst sports fans.
Trying to compare players of a common position and era are tough enough. Once you introduce grouping all positions together, regardless of when they played, what the talent pool was or what the rules were during their NFL careers, the answers get arbitrary.
We combined four sources to come up with our list of the Top-100 New Orleans Saints players of all time. Rankings for all players were averages comprised of contributions from pro-football-reference.com (Twitter: @pfref), Jeremy Trottier of the canalstreetchronicles.com (Twitter @ClutchWDN), Billy Gunn of the ‘Taking the Over with Billy Gunn’ Podcast (Twitter & Instagram: @takingtheover) and John Butler of canalstreetchronicles.com and the Saintjohnbutler YouTube channel (Twitter & Instagram: @Saintjohnbutler).
This is our list of New Orleans Saints 100-91:
100: Jim Everett, QB (1994-1996)
While being primarily known for his time in Los Angeles with the Rams, Everett made an immediate impact when joining the Saints in 1994. Everett amassed over 10,000 passing yards and currently ranks 5th in franchise history despite his relatively short stay of just 3 seasons.
99: Don Morrison, T (1971-1977)
A fourth-round pick for the Saints in 1971, Morrison played the majority of his career in New Orleans. Morrison was a mainstay on the Saints’ defensive line of the 70’s, missing just 2 starts in 7 seasons with New Orleans.
98: Darren Sproles, RB (2011-2013)
A small stature didn’t stop Sproles from being one of the game’s most potent offensive weapons during his stay in New Orleans. In his first of just 3 seasons with the Saints, Sproles set the NFL record for most all-purpose yards at 2696 total yards.
97: Delvin Breaux, CB (2015-2017)
Breaux was not only a fan favorite because of his New Orleans roots, he was also an inspiration. Delvin Breaux suffered a broken neck in a high school game and played no college ball. Eventually, Breaux made it to the NFL for his hometown Saints and made an immediate impact in a struggling secondary.
96: Ricky Williams, RB (1999-2001)
In possibly the most famous draft day trade in Saints’ history, New Orleans swapped all of their draft picks in 1999 to get their hands on Ricky Williams. Williams, coming off his Heisman trophy season for the University of Texas, made an immediate impact. Williams accumulated over 3, 000 rushing yards in his 3 seasons and still ranks 9th all-time in franchise history.
95: Darren Howard, DE (2000-2005)
Another example of durability in Saints history, Howard started all but 3 games in 6 seasons with the Saints during his tenure. The Saints has high expectations for the defensive end after drafting him in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Howard was worth the high pick and had multiple 11.0 sack seasons with the Saints.
94: Vince Buck, CB (1990-1995)
Another round 2 selection by the Saints (1990), Buck spent his entire career in New Orleans. Buck roamed the secondary for some of the greatest defenses in Saints’ history.
93: Wayne Wilson, RB (1979-1986)
12th all-time on the Saints rushing career rushing leaders, Wilson was productive despite the crowded backfield. Sharing time with backs like Tony Galbreath, George Rogers and quarterback Archie Manning, Wilson was a reliable back.
92: Richard Cooper, OT (1990-1995)
Undrafted, Cooper worked his way into the starting offensive line and didn’t relinquish his position until his departure after the 1995 season. The 6’5 tackle protected a host of quarterbacks during his time in the Big Easy during the transition from Hebert to Everett.
91: Robert Meachem, WR (2007-2011, 2013-2014)
First-round draft choice in 2007, Meachem would pay dividends and became an important weapon in the earlier Drew Brees years. The Super Bowl champion’s most notable moment was his strip-fumble and touchdown following an interception thrown by Brees against Washington during the 2009 season.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of the top-100 list.
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