By Ross Jackson
After bringing wide receiver Brandin Cooks back to the team that drafted him, the New Orleans Saints have not stopped their work at the position. With top options Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed ready to return to the field in 2025, the Saints continue to do their homework.
In addition to scheduling a meeting with Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan, who is expected to be a top 10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the Saints have been connected to another 1,000-yard receiver.
Per Tony Pauline of SportsKeeda, the Saints were among teams to meet with Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton.
The 6-foot-1, 183-pound wide out fits the same frame and build as Olave and Shaheed. He also brings sub-4.4 speed. He reeled in 96 receptions last year for 1,124 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches.
I see why Tai Felton is getting day 2 hype. Vertical threat, good body control, strong and dynamic with the ball in his hands pic.twitter.com/83FF5wFLLA
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 31, 2025
While he took over 70 percent of his snaps in 2024 from out wide, he may be seen as more of a slot receiver at the next level.
Felton will be looked at, on the surface, as a redundant archetype for New Orleans based on what’s already on their roster. But a deeper look at his game illuminates what sets him apart.
The wideout’s 4.37-second speed will leap off of the field quickly, but it’s his ability with the ball in his hands that sets him apart. Among the 79 draft eligible FBS wide receivers that saw at least 75 targets in 2024, Felton finished tied with the fourth-most yards after catch in the nation. He and Washington State wideout Kyle Williams each finished with 590.
New Orleans has not had a player finish with more in a single season since running back Alvin Kamara finished with a whopping 757 yards after catch in 2020. The last wide receiver to match Felton’s mark in New Orleans was Michael Thomas who had 599 in 2019.
The Ashburn, VA. native forced 26 missed tackles last year, per Pro Football Focus. Among that same group of 79 receivers, he finished tied for the third-highest amount. He finished just four short of matching the top tally.
Felton also impressed during this offseason athletic testing.
- 40-yard-dash: 4.37 seconds
- Vertical: 39.5 inches
- Broad jump: 10-foot-10
- Shuttle: 4.27 seconds
- Bench: 12 reps
- RAS: 9.20
Felton is expected to be a day 2 selection. That puts him in play for New Orleans as the lone receiver they take in the draft. But because of his unique skill set, he wouldn’t be ruled out as an option for the Saints even if they took a big-bodied wide receiver earlier in the draft. Doubling up a wide receiver to land both a physical presence and yards after catch threat wouldn’t be a bad way to continue to add talent to the room.
