NFL

Jenkins has made it a point not to treat Vaccaro's arrival the way Reggie Bush did Mark Ingram's in 2011. Bush infamously tweeted "It's been fun New Orleans" after the Saints took Ingram with the No. 28 pick. "It makes it an awkward situation in the locker room," Jenkins said. Jenkins is coming off a horrific season, but his roster spot appears to be secure. GM Mickey Loomis has said Jenkins could see snaps in the slot as a way to get him on the field at the same time as Vaccaro and Roman Harper.

We'll see. Vilma is in his decline phase at age 31 and is really wearing down against the run. He'll have to hold off a strong challenge from David Hawthorne in camp. Vilma may be best-suited to fill a nickel role at this point in his career.

"There's a competition there," Loomis said. The Saints are thin on Drew Brees' blindside, so it's not exactly a surprise. Armstead has prototypical size and freaky measurables, but is jumping from the SWAC to NFL. Left tackle would be a daring spot to stick a player who was squaring off with the likes of Jackson State and Prairie View A&M last season. With just Charles Brown and Jason Smith to compete with Armstead, the Saints may not be done adding bodies.

This suggests the Saints are indeed planning to keep both Jenkins and Roman Harper. It's also possible the scenario could be reversed, with Vaccaro manning the slot on passing downs. The Saints didn't take Vaccaro at No. 15 overall with a limited role in mind. He'll play major snaps for a defense that was one of the worst in league history last season.

Ellis hasn't generated any buzz on the open market, but the Cardinals are on the prowl for a defensive tackle. Ellis would be in line for only a small signing bonus, and wouldn't be guaranteed a roster spot in Arizona. The former No. 7 overall pick has just 0.5 sacks over his past 31 games.

The Saints have major concerns at left tackle. Jermon Bushrod is in Chicago, Charles Brown has never been able to stay healthy and Jason Smith has been a bust. Armstead is raw coming out of Arkansas Pine-Bluff, but his measureables are off the charts. He could be protecting Drew Brees' blind side sooner rather than later.

Thomas (6-foot-3, 244) was a four-year starter for the Cardinal, playing end as a freshman before moving to SAM 'backer in Stanford's revised 3-4 for his final three seasons. He tallied a whopping 50 career tackles for loss, 27.5 sacks, and nine forced fumbles. Thomas ran 4.91 at the Combine with a 1.64 ten-yard split. While he lacks edge speed and fluid cover skills, Thomas can win with sound pass-rushing technique. He also plays tough run defense. Thomas could stick in a wide-open outside linebacker corps in New Orleans.