29-year old Jeremy Shockey is still an elite TE when healthy.  He played in 13 games (12 starts) for the Saints last season in which he caught 48 passes for 569 yards (11.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Shockey has now played in 108 games (105 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 469 passes for 5,280 yards (11.3 avg) with 30 TD grabs in his career.  Shockey is a 4-time Pro Bowler who could make if 5 if he can play all 16 games for the Saints in 2010.

27-year old David Thomas is a TE on the rise.  He played in 15 games (8 starts) for the Saints last season in which he caught 35 passes for 356 yards (10.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Thomas has now played in 47 games (21 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 56 passes for 617 yards (11.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Saints are in great shape at TE this season as Thomas is more than capable of starting if something were to happen to Shockey.

Rookie 3rd round pick Jimmy Graham out of Miami (Fla) has the size at 6′6″, 259 pounds and solid upside to be a good player down the road for the Saints.  But for now he will be learning from Shockey and Thomas.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SAINTS FBs in 2010:  A-