LINK

The New Orleans Saints concluded their fifth practice of training camp Monday so it's time to take inventory of where things stand heading into Week 2 of workouts.
Please note, this a fluid situation. Players will rise and fall at certain spots as camp progresses and the coaching staff has more tape to evaluate. Deep positions like linebacker, cornerback, wide receiver and running back could look a little different each day as the staff works players with various units to give each player a fair evaluation.
As Saints coach Sean Payton likes to say, write some of these positions in pencil rather than pen as we move forward.
Here's my best guess at the three-deep depth chart on defense as it stands after five practices:

Defensive end
DE: Alex Okafor, Hau’oli Kikaha, Obum Gwacham
DE: Cameron Jordan, Darryl Tapp, Trey Hendrickson
Jordan is a lock on the left side and Okafor is getting the first shot to start on the right side, but that job is open. Kikaha, Hendrickson and fellow rookie Al-Quadin Muahhamad have all seen snaps with the first-team defense. This decision could go down to the wire.

Defensive tackle
DT: David Onyemata, Tyeler Davison, Justin Zimmer
DT: Sheldon Rankins, Tony McDaniel, Ashaad Mabry
Onyemata's ascension to the starting tackle spot opposite Rankins has been the revelation of camp for me. I knew the Saints were high on him, but I didn't expect him to vault past the more seasoned Davison so quickly. The Saints clearly want to give Onyemata as many reps as possible to accelerate his learning curve.

Linebacker
SLB: Manti Te’o, Nathan Stupar, Michael Mauti
MLB: A.J. Klein, Craig Robertson, Adam Bighill
WLB: Stephone Anthony, Alex Anzalone, Michael Mauti
Break out your pencils. Every position here is up in the air. Klein has the inside track to start in the middle and call the plays. It would be an upset if he doesn't win the job. But after that, both outside spots are up for grabs. This will be one of the most competitive position groups on the roster. Every player on the depth chart had a legitimate shot to make the team.

Cornerback
CB: Delvin Breaux, Sterling Moore, Ken Crawley
CB: P.J. Williams, Marshon Lattimore, De’Vante Harris
Another wide-open position. Breaux has a firm grip on one corner spot, but the other is up for grabs. Ideally, the Saints would like Lattimore to win the job so Williams could become the nickel back and work the slot. But the learning curve is steep for rookie corners in the NFL, and Lattimore will be brought along slowly until he shows he's ready for the starting job. Behind the top three, a heated competition for the remaining two or three jobs is taking place. Those battles will likely go down to final cuts and rank among the most difficult calls on the roster for the staff.

Safety
SS: Kenny Vaccaro, Rafael Bush, Erik Harris
FS: Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams, Chris Banjo
Not much competition here. Vaccaro and Bell are the clear starters, with Bush and Williams locked in at the reserve spots. The Saints are also high on Harris, who is seeing time in sub packages. Banjo is a strong special teams player, so the Saints have some good options here.