All-NFC South Team of the 2010s: How many Saints WRs made the cut?

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All-NFC South Team of the 2010s: How many Saints WRs made the cut?

John Sigler, Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Mon, Jul 13, 2026 ·

4 min read

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We're continuing our look at the All-NFC South Team of the 2010s with the wide receivers, but how many New Orleans Saints players made the list? The team invested a lot of draft capital in guys like Brandin Cooks and Michael Thomas this decade, and they still had Marques Colston playing well late in his career.

Unfortunately, it isn't the kind of exercise that doesn't help guys who were snubbed from Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams like Colston. While Colston ranked top-five in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches for the NFC South during the 2010s, he didn't get the postseason accolades that would have helped him out here. Let's explain why.

Methodology

One key stat we're relying on is Approximate Value from Pro Football Reference , which PFR defines as "an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year." In practice, that means giving higher numbers to player who start more games, play more snaps, and do more to help their team win by racking up yards, scoring touchdowns, creating turnovers and sacking quarterbacks, and so on. We're also assigning point values to being named a first-team All-Pro (ten points), second-team All-Pro (five points), and Pro Bowler (three points). And then we're adding those numbers together. So while Colston had an Approximate Value of 50, his lack of extra points put a big gap between him and the top four wideouts. Remember, these are all-decade teams for the NFC South, which didn't exist until 2002, and only contributions on the four teams in the division factor into our formula. So Drew Brees earning a Pro Bowl nod with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 doesn't help him, for example.

First team: Julio Jones

Dec 24, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) before the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Team: Atlanta Falcons (2011 to 2019)
AV: 113
Awards: All-Pro first team (2), All-Pro second team (3), Pro Bowler (7)
Score: 169

Jones was just on another level from everyone else. He had almost 5,000 yards more than the second-closest NFC South receiver during the 2010s. He was a perennial Pro Bowler and a major difference-maker in every game he played. The Saints did a great job shutting him down once they drafted Marshon Lattimore , and Jones never did win a Super Bowl ring in Atlanta, but there's no denying his talent.

First team: Michael Thomas

Dec 30, 2018; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) looks on from the bench in the second half against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Team: New Orleans Saints (2016 to 2019)
AV: 57
Awards: All-Pro first team (2), Pro Bowler (3)
Score: 86

Thomas made every catch count once he joined the Saints in the back half of the decade, becoming the first wide receiver in a generation to win Offensive Player of the Year after four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He was incredibly dominant on contested catches and winning with the ball in the air. His Saints career didn't end how anyone wanted it to, but when Thomas in his prime he sure looked to be on pace for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Second team: Roddy White

Dec 6, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) works out prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Team: Atlanta Falcons (2010 to 2019)
AV: 61
Awards: All-Pro first team (1), Pro Bowler (2)
Score: 77

White landed in an awkward spot for this project; his best years came at the end of the 2000s and start of the 2010s. If he had his stride fully in one decade or the other he'd be a slam-dunk first teamer. Instead, he's a highly-regarded second teamer. And that's fine. White earned a reputation as a Falcons fan favorite and frustrating opponent, leading the NFL in targets in both 2010 and 2011.

Second team: Mike Evans

Dec 14, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) catches a touchdown as Carolina Panthers free safety Tre Boston (33) and cornerback Josh Norman (24) defend in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014 to 2019)
AV: 56
Awards: All-Pro second team (1), Pro Bowler (3)
Score: 70

Evans burst onto the scene with 60-plus receptions for 1,000-plus yards as a rookie and repeated that feat every season for 11 years. That combination of durability and productivity is tough to match, but he was up against some all-time great competition in the 2010s. We'll see Evans again on our All-2020s Team, but he's only on the second team for his first decade in the NFL -- even though he ranked second in the division with 7,260 receiving yards.