The New Orleans Saints are just 74 days away from their 2025 season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. New head coach Kellen Moore will guide the Saints into their 59th NFL season after the team stumbled to a 5-12 record in 2024. Rookie defensive tackle Omari Thomas is wearing No. 74 for New Orleans at the moment. If the undrafted Thomas makes the team and keeps the same number, he’ll become the 13th player in franchise history to wear that jersey during the regular season. Here’s a closer look at Thomas’ background as our Saints Player of the Day.

Name (age): Omari Thomas (23)

Position: Defensive tackle

Height, weight: 6-foot-4, 324 pounds

College: Tennessee Volunteers

Relative Athletic Score: N/A

Drafted: Undrafted, 2025 (New Orleans Saints)

2025 salary cap hit: $845,000

Thomas stayed in state with his commitment to the University of Tennessee. He played sparingly his first year in 2020, though still appearing in 10 games. By the end of his 2021 campaign, Thomas was a regular member of the defensive line rotation and would make 41 starts in his Volunteers career. Over his time with Tennessee, Thomas had 5 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, and either tipped or batted down 13 passes.

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After not being selected in this spring’s draft, Thomas was signed by the New Orleans Saints. The Saints also used a third round choice on Texas defensive tackle Vernon Broughton before adding Thomas to their undrafted class. While listed at 6-foot-4 and over 320 pounds, Thomas was a better pass rusher than run stopper with the Tennessee Volunteers.

There will be plenty of competition for defensive line spots with the Saints in training camp. New Orleans returns linemen Bryan Bresee, Cam Jordan, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders along with 2024 sixth round pick Khristian Boyd. The Saints also added Broughton through the draft and traded for nose tackle Davon Godchaux. Omari Thomas has good quickness for his size and could turn some heads with his ability to rush the quarterback. However, it will likely come down to how effective Thomas is against the run that will determine whether he sticks on New Orleans’ 2025 roster.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Omari Thomas is the Saints Player of Day 74