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Michael Thomas and Chris Olave will light a spark in Saints offense

The Saints wide receiver room just got scary again!

Wild Card Round - Chicago Bears v New Orleans Saints Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Throughout the course of last season, there was a noticeable gap in the New Orleans Saints wide receiver room that didn’t go without noticing week after week. With star WR Micheal Thomas on the bench for the duration of the 2021 season, the Saints were forced to rely on players such as the rookie Marquez Callaway, return specialist Deonte Harris, and other players from the practice squad that were rotated in and out of the mix.

2022 NFL Draft - Round 1 Photo by David Becker/Getty Images

Going into the 2022 NFL Draft, the Saints needed to be aggressive in their hunt for athletes that can add to the offense that severely lacked in the previous season. With many fans believing that the New Orleans front office would ignore the problem and go after defensive players, the Saints fandom were shocked to see the unthinkable happen. With the 11th pick in the first round of the draft, the Saints selected Chris Olave, a WR out of Ohio State.

Here are a few highlights from Olave’s tenure at Ohio State University.

With the cannon-like arm of Jameis Winston coming back into the fold, expect the return of the deep ball to the Saints offense. Also expect for the return of Michael Thomas to command a sense of confidence that often times lacked over the course of last season. Although Thomas’ return will be welcomed, we knew defensive coordinators will plan around him with defenders likely to be all over him. With the addition of Olave, Winston will have more opportunities to spread the ball around and not soley focus on Thomas, creating some breathing room for the returning veteran.

Wild Card Round - Chicago Bears v New Orleans Saints Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

There’s no doubt about it, the Saints are looking a bit more scarier than last year. If things pan out the way that they already look on paper, the Saints will be primed to make this one hell of a season and a likely deep run into the playoffs.