Top 25 Saints of 2020: No. 1, Michael Thomas

Michael Thomas is someone you either love or hate, and the Saints offense causes tons of fits because of 'Can't Guard Mike'.

It's Sunday, which means the New Orleans Saints are back in action to kick off their 2020 regular season campaign. Week 1 sees the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town in what will be a late kickoff in FOX's Game of the Week inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. We've previously looked at 24 of the Top 25 Saints for the new season, and with things about to kick into gear in just several hours, we close out our series by checking out No. 1 on our countdown.

The Countdown

• No. 25, Latavius Murray | No. 24, Taysom Hill | No. 23, C.J. Gardner-Johnson
• No. 22, Malcom Brown | No. 21, Marcus Williams | No. 20, Deonte Harris
• No. 19, Andrus Peat | No. 18, Cesar Ruiz | No. 17, Janoris Jenkins
• No. 16, Thomas Morstead | No. 15, Wil Lutz | No. 14, Marcus Davenport
• No. 13, Erik McCoy | No. 12, David Onyemata | No. 11, Malcolm Jenkins
• No. 10, Emmanuel Sanders | No. 9, Jared Cook | No. 8, Marshon Lattimore
• No. 7, Terron Armstead | No. 6, Ryan Ramczyk | No. 5, Demario Davis
• No. 4, Cam Jordan | No. 3, Alvin Kamara | No. 2, Drew Brees

No. 1 - Michael Thomas

What else can you say about Michael Thomas that hasn't been said already? 'Can't Guard Mike' was rewarded with a five-year, $100 million contract prior to August of last year, and has proven to be worth every cent. Thomas went on a tear in 2019, setting the NFL's single-season record for most receptions with 149. Thomas also finished with 1,725 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl selection in addition to being an Associated Press First-Team All-Pro, and making the PFWA All-NFL, PFWA All-NFC, and The Sporting News All-Pro teams.

Not to be overshadowed, Michael Thomas finished as the NFC's and NFL's Offensive Player of the Year. Thomas was Pro Football Focus' third overall wide receiver in 2019, grading out at 90.4 overall behind Atlanta's Julio Jones (90.6) and Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin (90.7). Thomas had nine 100-yard receiving performances last season, and proved that he didn't have to have Drew Brees throwing him passes to be dominate. 

ALL 149 catches from @cantguardmike’s record-breaking season! 🎂🥳 pic.twitter.com/ev8bcYkZCd

— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2020

Thomas' Outlook in 2020

Thomas is expected to have another huge season, and some of the pressure is off of him to replicate last year's production. That's not to say that Thomas can't be relied on or doesn't welcome it, but the support cast has gotten better to compliment him. There's games you will see Thomas take over this year, and when the Saints need a big play or conversion, he's an easy person to dial-up.

The sky's certainly the limit for Michael Thomas, who is currently tied with Eric Martin for 3rd in franchise history with 18 100-yard receiving games. Marques Colston and Joe Horn hold the team's record with 28. Thomas will get plenty of opportunities to make big plays, and the petty knocks on him being just a slant guy are just folly. How will Thomas perform after last season's record-breaking performance up as an encore? The odds look highly favorable for another killer year.