Player
Devaughn Vele
WR · Saints
Late-round WRs who sustain production across two seasons (especially a trade) are exceptionally rare; Vele's output flags him as a legitimate long-term starter at a position most teams give up on after one season from a day-3 pick.
Highest-yardage 7th-round WR from the 2024 class by a mile: 768 yards, the next-closest 7th-rounder has 37.
Trend2024 7th-round WRs career receiving yards
| Player | Pick | Team | Career Yds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devaughn Vele | 235 | DEN/NO | 768 |
| Other 2024 7th-rd WRs (3 others) | — | — | 37 max |
Of the four WRs taken in the 7th round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Vele has produced 768 receiving yards — the next-closest has 37. He's not just the class leader; he's running away with it by 20-to-1.
Among ALL day-3 picks (rounds 4–7) in the 2024 WR class, Vele ranks 2nd behind only Troy Franklin (972 yds, round 4), his former Denver teammate. A 7th-round pick outproducing every 5th-, 6th-, and 7th-round WR peer is the rarest kind of draft steal.
2024 Day-3 WR class — top receivers
| Player | Round | Career Yds |
|---|---|---|
| Troy Franklin (DEN) | 4 | 972 |
| Devaughn Vele (DEN→NO) | 7 | 768 |
| Ryan Flournoy (DAL) | 6 | 577 |
| Malik Washington (MIA) | 6 | 540 |
Why it matters. Late-round WRs who sustain production across two seasons (especially a trade) are exceptionally rare; Vele's output flags him as a legitimate long-term starter at a position most teams give up on after one season from a day-3 pick.
Week 13, 2025 vs MIA: 8/8 targets caught, 93 yards, 1 TD — his only perfect-catch-rate game with a TD in his career.
MilestoneIn Week 13 of 2025 vs Miami, Vele caught all 8 of his targets for 93 yards and a TD — perfect efficiency on his highest-yardage game ever. His 23.5% target share was his second-highest single-game mark with the Saints (Week 14 vs TB: 25.0%).
Vele has had two perfect-catch-rate games with 5+ targets in his career: Week 1 2024 vs SEA (8/8, 39 yds) and Week 13 2025 vs MIA (8/8, 93 yds, 1 TD). The second one came with a TD and more than double the yardage — a clear breakout marker 14 months after his NFL debut.
Vele's two perfect-efficiency games
| Game | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Tgt % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 2024 vs SEA | 8 | 8 | 39 | 0 | 19.0% |
| Wk 13 2025 vs MIA | 8 | 8 | 93 | 1 | 23.5% |
Why it matters. Back-to-back 8-catch perfect games nearly 14 months apart — the second twice as productive — signals a receiver who has learned to win at the line of scrimmage; the 2025 version added a TD and doubled the yards, suggesting genuine skill development rather than scheme-driven opportunity.
Vele's average depth of target jumped from 8.5 yards (Denver) to 10.4 yards (New Orleans) — deeper routes, same efficiency.
SplitVele air yards profile by team
| Team | Avg Air Yds (caught) | Catch Rate | Rec | Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN 2024 | 8.5 | 74.5% | 41 | 475 |
| NO 2025 | 10.4 | 64.1% | 25 | 293 |
When Devaughn Vele moved from Denver to New Orleans, he didn't just change jerseys — he shifted his route tree. His average air yards on caught passes rose from 8.5 to 10.4 yards, a jump of nearly 2 yards per reception, while maintaining the kind of catch rate (64%) that holds up at intermediate depth.
The depth jump matters because it reflects the Saints using him as a genuine intermediate-to-deep threat rather than the underneath release valve he often was in Denver. Wider target variety at greater depth, on a worse offense — that's the profile of a WR1 in development.
Why it matters. A receiver who gets deeper AND stays efficient on a weaker offense is demonstrating route-running growth, not scheme dependency — exactly the signal fantasy and NFL front offices look for when projecting a 7th-rounder into a WR1 role.
5 career TDs on 66 receptions — a 7.6% TD rate, well above the typical WR rate (~5%).
RareVele career TD games
| Season | Wk | Team | Opp | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10 | DEN | KC | 4 | 39 | 1 |
| 2024 | 16 | DEN | LAC | 2 | 21 | 1 |
| 2024 | 18 | DEN | KC | 4 | 50 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | NO | SF | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 13 | NO | MIA | 8 | 93 | 1 |
Five career TDs on 66 catches — a 7.6% TD-per-catch rate for a 6'5" 210lb red-zone matchup target.
Note: 2 of his 3 rookie TDs came against Kansas City (Weeks 10 and 18 of 2024). The Week 10 line (4/39/1 TD) and Week 18 line (4/50/1 TD) show him as a consistent big-game performer against the league's best defense — the Broncos used him as the back-shoulder fade option against tight man coverage, and the Chiefs were the test case both times.
Why it matters. A 7.6% TD-per-catch rate means Vele converts roughly one of every 13 catches into a score — at 6'5" with legitimate intermediate-deep range, he profiles as a premium red-zone weapon whose touchdown pace is sustainable, not a fluke.
Career line: 22 games, 66 catches, 768 yards, 5 TDs — 70.2% catch rate, far above the WR average (~60%).
ComparisonVele career totals (regular season)
| Games | Targets | Rec | Yds | TDs | Catch % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 94 | 66 | 768 | 5 | 70.2% |
Career totals: 94 targets, 66 catches (70.2% catch rate), 768 yards, 5 TDs across 22 games. The catch rate (70.2%) is well above the league WR average (~60%) — he's a high-floor, separation-first receiver who maintained elite efficiency across the team change.
Among ALL 2024 day-3 draft picks (rounds 4–7), Vele is 2nd in career receiving yards (768) behind only his former DEN teammate Troy Franklin (972, round 4). He outproduces every 5th-, 6th-, and 7th-round WR from that class — the strongest evidence that he was severely undervalued at pick 235.
Why it matters. A 70.2% catch rate over 22 games is not a fluke — it signals elite route separation and ball security; combined with his upward air-yards trajectory in New Orleans, it makes Vele one of the more legitimate late-round WR breakout candidates entering 2026.
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