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3 Saints poised to make the All-Pro team in 2020

The New Orleans Saints had four 1st Team All-Pro selections and two 2nd Team selections in 2019.

Which Saints players left off the 2019 All-Pro team are most likely to see their names on the 2020 All-Pro squad?

The New Orleans Saints had six players selected to the AP's All-Pro 1st and 2nd teams in 2019. WR Michael Thomas, LB Demario Davis, RT Ryan Ramczyk, and WR/PR Deonte Harris were voted to the 1st team, while DE Cameron Jordan and Special Teamer J.T Gray were 2nd team selections. 

The Saints have a young and multi-talented roster headed into the 2020 NFL season. Fans can expect to see familiar names on the All-Pro roster at the end of the season. However, more Saints players could easily find themselves on that exclusive roster. Here are three Saints poised to make an All-Pro team in 2020 after failing to make it in 2019.  

RB Alvin Kamara, 2017-2nd Team All-Pro

Saints RB coach Joel Thomas said last week that no one really knows how much Kamara really went through to play in 2019. Kamara battled knee, ankle and back injuries throughout the season, limiting him to 14 games. In a "sub-par" 2019 season, the 2017 Pepsi Rookie of the Year had 797 yards on the ground and caught 81 passes for over 533 yards. 

While the yardage was not far off his production from the previous two years, the alarming part of the 2019 season for Kamara was his TD numbers. After scoring 14 and 18 combined TDs in his first two seasons, Kamara found the end zone only 6 times in 2019.

Analysts near and far are confident Kamara will bounce back in 2020.  New Orleans star running back will be playing in a contract year this upcoming season and will be searching for a deal to make him one of the highest-paid RBs in football. Kamara will regain his form as one of the most productive and dangerous offensive talents in all of football this season.

PREDICTION: 2nd Team All-Pro, Over 1,450 Scrimmage Yards, 15 TDs

QB Drew Brees, 4x-2nd Team All-Pro/ 2006 1st Team

Drew Brees missed consecutive games for the first time in his NFL career.  Brees injured his right thumb ligament in Week 2 action against the L.A Rams by their All-Pro DT Aaron Donald. During his absence QB, Teddy Bridgewater led the Saints to five consecutive wins.  Brees returned in Week 8 and defeated the Arizona Cardinals 31-9 in from of a home crowd inside of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. 

To say it was a "turbulent season" for Brees and the Saints would be an understatement. Brees,41, at times showed his brilliance (i.e vs. Cardinals, Colts, & 49ers), but also seemed to show his age (i.e Divisional Round vs Vikings). Brees finished 2019 starting in 11 games, throwing for just under 3,000 yards, 27 TDs, and 4 INT

Brees is the unquestioned leader of the franchise, a fan favorite, and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. As the curtain closes on his storied career, expect Brees to go out swinging. It is a Super Bowl or bust season for New Orleans, and Brees could go out with one of his best individuals seasons of the last five years.

PREDICTION: 2nd Team All-Pro, 4,700 Yards, 36 TDs, 5 INT

CB Marshon Lattimore, 2x Pro-Bowl Selection

Since entering the league as the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Marshon Lattimore has proved to be one of the game's elite CBs. Lattimore had 18 PD, and 5 INT in route to the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2017. The Saints swept the Rookie of the Year awards in 2017 with RB Alvin Kamara and CB Marshon Lattimore. The Saints became the first team to sweep the awards since the Lions in 1967 (the first year of the award)

In 2018, Lattimore missed being voted to the Pro-Bowl despite finishing the season with 2 INT, 4 FF, and 3 FR. The defensive playmaker did not let it phase him coming up with 2 INTs in the playoffs prior to the Saints' heartbreaking loss to the Rams in the 2018 NFC Championship.  Lattimore returned to the Pro-Bowl by finishing the year with 57 tackles and 1 INT in 14 games.

New Orleans added CB Janoris Jenkins late in the 2019 season to be Lattimore's "partner in crime" in the defensive backfield after CB Eli Apple's injury.  The "Jack Rabbit" re-signed with the team in the offseason to complement Lattimore.  Opposing QBs will be forced to decide if throwing to his covered WR would be better than to Lattimore's assigned target.  The interception numbers could increase for either Lattimore or Jenkins as a result.  Who Dat Nation, expect more family photos in the endzones after turnovers this season.

PREDICTION: 1st Team All-Pro, 55 tackles, 20 PD, 5 INT, 1 TD

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