The Saints are in really good shape at WR heading into the 2008 season.  They have a lot of depth and Drew Brees loves to move the football around like Tom Brady does in New England.  6′4″, 231 pound Marques Colston is one of the best receivers in the entire NFL.  He has great hands, wins jump balls and has enough speed to get downfield.  Colston played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 98 passes for 1,202 yards (12.3 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  Look for Colston to get less double coverage this season due to improvement in the WR corps as well as the addition of Jeremy Shockey.  That could mean that Colston could have a career year in 2008 for the Saints.  Colston has now played in 30 games in his NFL career and he has caught 168 passes for 2,240 yards (13.3 avg) with 19 TD grabs.

33-year old veteran David Patten is back for 2008 and he’s a fine secondary WR.  He played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 54 passes for 792 yards (14.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Patten’s numbers could start to downturn a little bit if the Saints’ younger receivers step up but he’s still a good football player.  Patten has now played in 142 games in his NFL career and he has caught 313 passes for 4,553 yards (14.5 avg) with 23 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 13 times for 106 yards (8.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.

26-year old Devery Henderson is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL but his hands sometimes are faulty especially when venturing over the middle of the football field.  Henderson played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 20 passes for 409 yards (20.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 2 times for 20 yards (10.0 ypc) last season.  Look for the Saints to use Henderson on deep plays but not much else in 2008 so his numbers should stay about the same.  Henderson has now played in 43 games in his NFL career and he has caught 74 passes for 1,497 yards (20.2 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 43 yards (8.6 avg) with a TD run.

6′0″, 215 pound receiver Robert Meachem was a complete bust as a first round pick last season as he didn’t even step on the football field as a rookie.  He looked really good in last night’s exhibition opener for the Saints so they still have hope for him.  Look for Meachem to dig up some pride and show up this season.  He could eventually work his way up to the #3 WR job this season as long as he works hard in practice.  The Saints still like him despite last year.

26-year old Terrance Copper is a solid spare part to have around for the Saints.  Even though he’s buried on the depth chart, he makes plays when given the chance.  Copper played in 15 games for the Saints last season and he caught 15 passes for 126 yards (8.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for him to have better numbers than that in 2008.  Copper has now played in 56 games in his NFL career and he has caught 46 passes for 600 yards (13.0 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

5′9″, 190 pound Lance Moore had a decent year in 2007 for the Saints and they are expecting him to be even better in 2008.  Moore played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 32 passes for 302 yards (9.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 7 yards (3.5 ypc) with a TD run.  Although Moore is the smallest of the Saints’ receivers he has a big heart so he should get his share of playing time in 2007.  Moore has now played in 20 games in his NFL career and he has caught 33 passes for 312 yards (9.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

22-year old Adrian Arrington is a big target at 6′3″, 203 pounds but he’s not the fastest receiver around.  Still, he could be effective in the Saints’ offense if he can just get off the line of scrimmage.  Arrington played in 13 games (all starts) last season at Michigan and he caught 67 passes for 882 yards (13.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  Arrington will likely have to play a lot on special teams to make it as a rookie on the Saints.  He finished his career at Michigan having played in 34 games (18 starts) in which he caught 109 passes for 1,438 yards (13.2 avg) with 16 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-