Sean Payton boldly compares one of his current players to an all-time Saints great
Denver Broncos head coach had some bold words on Wednesday that will interest fans of the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are preparing to play the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13. Payton's comparison Payton has never shied away from players comparisons. He made another intriguing one this week, involving a Broncos WR and Saints […]
Denver Broncos head coach had some bold words on Wednesday that will interest fans of the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are preparing to play the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13.
Payton's comparison
Payton has never shied away from players comparisons. He made another intriguing one this week, involving a Broncos WR and Saints legend Marques Colston.
"He reminds me a lot of [former Saints WR] Marques Colston, who I had in New Orleans for 10 or 11 years. In our staff meeting 20 minutes ago, I said, ‘We have to continue to find touches for him.’ You have a big target—I mentioned this to you guys—he’s 6’4”, but he has a short inseam. He’s someone who can get in and out of cuts. I’m glad we’re not getting to the end of the season and do not know about some of these rookies.”
— Sean Payton on Devaughn Vele
Vele has elevated from a former undrafted free agent signing to a key piece in the Broncos offense.
In the past three games for Denver, he's totaled 14 receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown. His snap count continues to rise, and the staff thinks he can be a consistent producer at the NFL level.
Drafted in the seventh round by the Broncos in this last draft, with the 235th overall pick, Vele's age – approaching 27 in December – might have been a factor in his late selection, but it also meant he brought a level of maturity, and experience uncommon for a rookie. This was evident from his first moments with the Broncos. In training camp, Vele turned heads, particularly with a one-handed catch that became one of the highlights of the summer, drawing comparisons to some of the NFL's most acrobatic receivers.
Clearly, they have a lot of confidence in his development with a comparison to Colston. During Colston's career, he was the definition of consistency.
On an annual basis, you could expect him to be one of the leading receivers for New Orleans and nearly never drop passes from Drew Brees. The legendary QB had incredible trust in Colston, and that connection is building in Denver between Bo Nix and Vele.
The former Saints wideout will probably never get the respect he deserves from national media or the league, but Payton and his former teammates understand the value Colston brought during his career in New Orleans.
Colston finished his pro career with six seasons of 1,000+ receiving yards and two with at least 900. He never made a Pro Bowl, somehow, though. Saints fans always knew that his quiet, but strong presence, would play a role week in and week out.
Payton is hoping that Vele can do that same sort of thing for the Broncos in the future. If they can even get half of Colston's career production from him, that is a huge win.
