The New Orleans Saints have been awfully wise when it comes to selecting wide receivers in the NFL draft.
On this list of their top five wideouts in team history, four joined the team straight out of college. And while four of the five on this list were never true superstars, they all helped the Saints out of varying degrees of hard times.
Unfortunately, two of the five also suffered from nagging injuries that limited their ultimate output, ending their careers earlier than expected. They still deserve their spot here among the Saints greats.
5. Danny Abramowicz (1967-1973)
The early days of Saints football were ugly. They entered the NFL in 1967 and didn’t win more than five games in a single season until 1978. Abramowicz would have put up greater numbers on a better squad.
As it is, he’s still a Saints legend. He joined the team in their inaugural campaign and spent seven years in New Orleans where he was the team’s leading receiver for the first six.
Abramowicz finished third in Rookie of the Year voting his first season and earned his first and only All-Pro team in 1969 when led the NFL with 73 receptions.
4. Michael Thomas (2016-2023)
Thomas should have ranked higher than fourth. From a sheer talent standpoint, he’s the greatest Saints wide receiver in team history. His lower body just wouldn’t cooperate.
But the man came into the NFL like a storm, catching 92 passes for 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2016.
Each of his next three years were even better than the one that came before, peaking in 2019 when Thomas caught 149 passes, an NFL single-season record, for 1,725 yards and nine scores. The season earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors and his second straight first-team All-Pro selection.
An ankle injury limited Thomas to just seven games in 2020 and caused him to miss the entire 2021 season. In 2022, his foot acted up and he played in three games. His final season of 2023 was 10 games long and he was finished after that.
Thomas ranks third in team history in catches and fourth in yards receiving.
MORE: Best NFL Teams at Drafting Wide Receivers
3. Joe Horn (2000-2006)
Four seasons in Kansas City saw Horn catch 53 passes. He was, at best, a No. 3 when he left the Chiefs for New Orleans ahead of the 2000 season.
He just needed a change of scenery. Horn made three straight Pro Bowls with the Saints and four in five years. His best season came in 2004 when he caught 94 balls for 1,399 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Horn would play two more seasons in New Orleans at age 33 and 34 before finishing his career with one season in Atlanta. Only two players have more yards receiving or touchdowns in franchise history.
2. Eric Martin (1985-1993)
Maybe it’s a coincidence, but about the time Martin joined the Saints out of LSU in 1985, the franchise’s fortunes began to turn.
After his rookie year, Martin led the Saints in receiving for seven of the next eight seasons. His third year resulted in New Orleans’ first postseason appearance and the team would make the playoffs three more times in Martin’s nine years.
He made just one Pro Bowl, in 1988, but from 1988 to 1993, Martin averaged 69 grabs and 980 yards receiving per year. Those were rather large numbers for the era, even if he was never a superstar.
1. Marques Colston (2006-2015)
For whatever reason, the seventh round of the NFL draft has produced an oddly high share of great wide receivers over the years. Colston fits right alongside guys like Julian Edelman, Harold Carmichael and Donald Driver as the best from what is now the final round.
Colston didn’t have to bide his time, either, catching 70 passes for more than 1,000 yards and eight scores as a rookie in 2006. He never played a truly healthy season, unfortunately, and still managed 10 seasons with the Saints.
He’s the team leader in receptions (711), yards receiving (9,759) and touchdown catches (72). It’s a shame he never earned Pro Bowl recognition because he was worthy of it. At least he did get a Super Bowl ring in 2010, though.
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