Who Should I Start? DeAndre Hopkins or Devaughn Vele

Tuesday, July 7, 5:36 AM

New Orleans wide receiver Devaughn Vele had a slow start to his Saints tenure, but was playing some of the best ball of his young career before a shoulder injury caused the team to shut him down for the final three games of the 2025 season. After showing flashes in Denver as a 2024 seventh-round pick, an influx of young talent allowed the Broncos to trade him to New Orleans ahead of his second season. While it's unlikely he'll be entirely shipped out of town again, the Saints' recent investments at the position could make it difficult to regain his starting role, having finished the year as the secondary option behind All-Pro Chris Olave. After a string of injuries left them dangerously thin at the position down the stretch, New Orleans spent three of its eight 2026 draft picks on wide receivers, including Jordyn Tyson with the eighth overall pick and intriguing size-speed prospect Bryce Lance in the fourth round. Thrust into the largest role of his career out of necessity, Vele was able to provide emergency flex viability before his injury, but with a deeper depth chart being built around him, he is not a player who should factor into 2026 draft plans, and already 28 years old heading into his third season, his dynasty prospects remain slim.