The New Orleans Saints defense has one guy that has consistently been looked over for most of his career, Demario Davis. The veteran is entering his age 34 season and sixth as a Saint. Pro Football Focus analyst John Kosko recently gave him some credit, naming him to their list of the top 30 players over 30. Here was the reasoning for putting him at No. 18:
Davis started his career slowly, never grading above 62.4 from 2012 to 2016. In 2017, Davis found his stride and has not graded below 73.7 since.
In his 30s, Davis has been one of the best run-defending linebackers in the NFL and has given up just two touchdowns in coverage over the past two seasons. The Saints star put up an 82.7 PFF grade in 2022, a top-four mark at the position.
Davis was the highest rated off-ball linebacker on the list, which is very fair to say. He has an argument for the best at the position regardless of age. The only other linebacker on the list is Lavonte David a few spots behind Davis at No. 20. Davis’s fellow Saints defender Cameron Jordan is listed in the honorable mentions, while their former teammate Terron Armstead rounds out the list listed at No. 30.
