Mike Triplett, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Drew Brees, Brandin Cooks rank among Saints' best, just getting warmed up

The last in a five-part series counting down the top 20 New Orleans Saints players, based on their current value heading into the 2016 season:

No. 4 WR Brandin Cooks

Last year’s rank: 5

Cooks added juice to the Saints’ offense right away as a first-round draft pick in 2014. But he really went on a tear over the final nine games last year (eight touchdowns, four games with 100-plus yards from scrimmage). The dynamic speedster really started to get into a deep-ball rhythm with QB Drew Brees, catching TD passes of 71, 60, 54 and 38 yards during that stretch.

Cooks (5-foot-10, 189 pounds) is a versatile playmaker who also can do damage on short passes and run plays in the open field. And he’s still scratching the surface at 22 years old (until September). Cooks finished last year with 84 catches for 1,138 yards and nine TDs, but described his season as “OK” and said, “I left a lot of meat out there on the bone.”

No. 3 OT Terron Armstead

Last year’s rank: 11

Armstead cemented his reputation as one of the best young linemen in the NFL last year while playing well below 100 percent. Coach Sean Payton and teammates raved about the way he fought through a significant knee injury and still played at an elite level. Payton said late in the season, “There’s not a left tackle I would trade him for in the league.” Then the Saints rewarded him with a new five-year contract worth $13 million per year.

Armstead, who just turned 25 last week, has a great combination of athleticism and power. The 6-5, 304-pounder still holds the record for the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine (4.71 seconds in 2013). The Saints drafted him in the third round that year out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Armstead is starting this year’s training camp on the PUP list with an unspecified soft-tissue injury, according to a source, but he isn’t expected to miss much time.

No. 2 DE Cameron Jordan

Last year’s rank: 2

It was a close decision for No. 2 between Jordan and Armstead. But Jordan earned the nod because of his long track record. He ranks in the top 10 among all NFL players since 2012 in both sacks (38) and batted passes (14), according to ESPN Stats and Information. Only J.J. Watt and Justin Houston have him beat in both categories.

The former first-round draft pick lived up to the five-year, $55 million extension the Saints gave him last year by earning his second trip to the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Jordan had 10 sacks despite battling through a back injury for much of the season. The 6-4, 287-pounder is not an elite speed rusher, but his versatility is a huge asset for the Saints. He has played everywhere from defensive tackle to stand-up edge rusher, and he is a standout run defender as well.

No. 1 QB Drew Brees

Last year’s rank: 1

This, however, was not a tough decision. Brees, who turned 37 in January, continued to thrive last year despite missing a game due to injury for the first time in his career (a shoulder in Week 3). He also fought through a significant heel injury late in the season but still managed to lead the NFL with 4,870 passing yards. Brees has led the league in passing yards in four of the past five years (ranking second the other year). He also matched a NFL record with seven TD passes in a 52-49 win over the New York Giants last season.

It’s not easy to project how long Brees can keep up this level of play -- which is one of the reasons why he doesn’t have a contract extension yet. But it’s a safe bet that he will remain among the game’s elite in 2016.

Previous rankings: No. 17-20 | No. 13-16 | No. 9-12 | No. 5-8

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