Stephone Anthony

The hyper-athletic Anthony was New Orleans' first-round pick in 2015, and he mostly was encouraging, breezing past triple-digit tackles and reminding of his playmaking upside with a fumble return for a touchdown. He'll move from middle linebacker to outside in 2016, which will hopefully allow him to show off his remarkable athleticism with more frequent pursuit opportunities. While the addition of free agent James Laurinaitis might be a concern for the less-established Anthony, it's likely the two will coexist rather than vulturing production from one another.

With the draft pick acquired from Seattle in the Jimmy Graham trade, the Saints selected Anthony in the first round (31st overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. A premier athlete, Anthony totaled 90 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks in his senior season at Clemson, and could potentially play at either inside linebacker position in the Saints’ 3-4 base defense. Dannell Ellerbe, who was acquired from Miami in the Kenny Stills’ trade, and incumbent starter, David Hawthorne, likely have the early leg up in the competition for starting positions, but based on his productive career in college, Anthony could be an impact player in IDP leagues if he can unseat either player.