30 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 30
The NFL regular season for the New Orleans Saints begins just one month from today. New Orleans will host the Arizona Cardinals to begin their year, it's first under new head coach Kellen Moore. Rookie running back Devin Neal is wearing No. 30 for the Saints at the moment. A sixth round choice, Neal is currently sidelined by a hamstring injury. However, he has the upside to bolster the New Orleans offense. If he does, he'd be one of the very few that would have made a contribution in a No. 30 jersey for the franchise. Here's a look through all 22 previous players that have worn the number for New Orleans.
Saints' History of No. 30
Les Kelley was not only the first to ever wear No. 30 for the Saints, he was also the first player drafted in franchise history. New Orleans held the 1st overall choice in the 1967 NFL draft, their first year of existence, but traded it to the Baltimore Colts for quarterback Gary Cuozzo. With the last selection in that first round, the 26th overall choice, the Saints picked Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Kelley. He'd play three years with New Orleans, his only in the NFL, suiting up in 30 games with 1 interception and 2 fumble recoveries.
Bob Shaw was the first offensive player to wear No. 31 as a Saint, but played in only four games and recorded 1 catch. After Billy Harris played one game in 1971, the Saints drafted cornerback Ernie Jackson with a Round 7 choice the following season. Jackson stuck with New Orleans for six years and 62 games, the second longest stint for any player who wore the 31 jersey. Over that span, Jackson recorded 15 interceptions and recovered 8 fumbles, returning one for a score. He currently ranks eighth in team history for career interceptions.
A 12th round draft choice that was cut as a rookie in 1979 by the Houston Oilers, Wayne Wilson was picked up by the Saints and would have an extremely underrated career. Wilson was a versatile chess piece with the Saints for eight years and 102 contests, the most by any player to wear No. 30. He had 2,462 yards on the ground as often either a fullback or backup tailback, adding 179 receptions for another 1,517 yards and accounting for 19 total touchdowns. The first and one of only two NFL players to ever be drafted out of Shepherd College, Wilson is an underrated member of New Orleans history.
In the 38 years since Wayne Wilson was a Saint, 17 players have worn No. 30. Only one has worn it for longer than two years, with 14 of them wearing it for less than a complete season. In all, 16 of the 22 previous players who wore 30 did so for a year or less, with only four wearing it for even as long as three seasons.
Anthony Newman was the last player to wear No. 30 for more than two years, doing it for three seasons and 40 games with 6 interceptions. Je'Rod Cherry and Lynell Hamilton were the last two to wear the 30 jersey into a second year. Cherry, a Round 2 pick in 1996, wore two different numbers during a four-year stint with the franchise. Hamilton was a backup running back for two seasons and a total of 10 games. Since him, 10 different players have worn the 30 jersey for New Orleans. Only Justin Evans in 2022 (15 games) played more than five games during their tenure with the club.
Chad Morton was only a Saint during the 2000 campaign. However, Morton was extremely effective as a backup running back and standout kick returner for New Orleans. Fred McAfee forged a 10-year career in New Orleans that wound up with a 2022 induction into the Saints Hall of Fame. McAfee was a backup running back and elite special teamer for the Saints. However, he also wore three different numbers over his tenure. He'd only wear No. 30 in 2006 for four games, his last season in the NFL.
Can rookie Devin Neal bring some prestige to the No. 30? Only time will tell, but Neal will also be sidelined for most of this preseason with a hamstring injury.
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