Saints best pass rusher
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints don’t have a few behemoths in their midst. They have three to four average defensive ends and a blossoming defensive tackle. The question is: who will be the Saints best pass rusher next season?
Carl Granderson recorded 5.5 sacks and 13 QB hits. He also had 61 pressures. He had a PFF grade of 79.7 last season.
Chase Young unveiled 5.5 sacks and 21 QB hits. He also had 66 pressures. He had a PFF grade of 66.8.
Cam Jordan had 4 sacks and eight QB hits. Furthermore, he had 28 pressures. This led him to have a PFF grade of 57.4.
Their sack leader was their young defensive tackle, Bryan Bresee, with 7.5 sacks! Bresee also had 14 QB hits and 38 pressures.
I expect Young to lead the Saints in sacks in the upcoming season. He has more upside than any other Saints DL. Plus, he has shed weight to improve his speed and power. He can also feed off Jordan and Bresee on the inside hogging double teams for Young and Granderson to dominate on the edge.
Jordan isn’t only the most washed up pass rusher, but I believe he’s the most overrated defender. Before his four sack season, he only had two sacks.
Young tends to shine in key moments, just as when he sacked Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. He should be in more competitive situations with the new-look Saints than the Saints team that went 5-12 last season, in my humble opinion. Young should have learned a few pass rush moves from Jordan by now, as well.
Bresee is the second best pass rusher on my list. I believe he could get near double digit sacks, but I believe Young is more capable of getting 2-3 sack performances.
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