Means has a chance to stand out in an undersized WR corps

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bub Means may be an underrated key to his team’s success in the 2025 season. A fifth-round choice in the 2024 NFL draft, Means was starting to come on strong as a rookie until an injury ended his year. Means was the second of three draft picks the Saints made in Round 5 last year. The others were quarterback Spencer Rattler and linebacker Jaylan Ford.

At pick No. 170 overall, Means was just the eighth Pitt Panthers player ever drafted by the Saints and the first to make the roster since running back Craig Heyward in 1988. Means began his collegiate career at Tennessee in 2019 but transferred to Louisiana Tech after a redshirt season. He’d have 22 receptions for 430 yards with Louisiana Tech in 2021, then transferred to Pitt after the year. In his first year with the Panthers, Means pulled in 27 passes for 401 yards and scored twice. During the 2023 season at Pitt, Means was one of the few bright spots for the Panthers. He caught 41 passes as his 721 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns both led the team. His average of 17.6 yards per catch was second in the ACC as he had one 100-yard outing and six additional games with at least 70 receiving yards.

Means showed some promise but also displayed inconsistencies during his rookie preseason and saw only light action behind starting wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed to start the regular season. Over the first five games of last year, Means played only 19 offensive snaps and was targeted only one time.

As injuries mounted on the New Orleans offense, Means began to see more playing time heading towards mid-season. His first significant action came in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Means caught his first career touchdown in that game, a 10-yard scoring strike from fellow fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler. He’d be the team’s leading receiver that day, catching 5 of 8 targets for 45 yards.

With Olave and Shaheed out with injuries, Means earned his first career start in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos. He was targeted 5 times, catching 3 of those for 37 yards. He’d follow that up with a 36-yard reception against the Chargers the following week, but suffered an ankle injury early in that game. It was an injury that kept Means out for the rest of the season.

All told, Means had 9 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets as a rookie. Most of that production came over a three-week stretch. The Saints lost Means during a three-game period where they also lost Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for the year. Without them, New Orleans had no reliable targets at receiver through their last eight games and was anemic offensively.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Means doesn’t have overly imposing size but is a physical receiver that plays well against larger corners. He also has the necessary athleticism to make plays at the NFL level, as suggested by his testing numbers at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine:

40-yard dash: 4.43 seconds (74th percentile)10-yard split: 1.55 seconds (48th percentile)Vertical jump: 39.5 inches (89th percentile)Broad jump: 10-foot-2 (55th percentile)

More importantly, Means plays even faster than his testing numbers. His route breaks are typically at top speed, which was especially clear as he was becoming more comfortable in the Saints offense. He’ll need to improve route precision, but he has the route tree, physicality, and precision to be effective as an outside receiver and from the slot.The most underrated aspect of Means’ game may be his ability to make plays in traffic. In his final year at Pitt, he was among the ACC leaders in contested catches. He uses his body extremely well to shield defenders from a throw and has terrific leaping ability to high-point passes.

Coming into this offseason, most felt that the Saints would add a big-bodied possession receiver who can make plays at intermediate distances. They didn’t, either through free agency or the draft. New Orleans did sign veteran wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones in early May, but he’ll need to do a lot to earn that role.

While the Saints had other needs to also address this offseason, perhaps new coach Kellen Moore feels that Bub Means has the abilities to be the possession receiver that New Orleans needs for their offense.