Day two of the New Orleans Saints minicamp presented by Verizon is complete. The Saints practiced outside at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center under mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 80s. Here are a few takeaways for Wednesday's session:

1. We liked what we saw from the Saints defense in 2017, and I think we are heading in that direction again and more. This year's edition is deeper at most every position group. Coach Sean Payton spoke to it in his post-practice presser. He believes it's the deepest he's seen it in several seasons. That applies to defensive end, linebacker and certainly the secondary. It's amazing how quickly the Saints secondary has gone from a problem to a true strength of the football team.

2. Speaking of the secondary, I love watching Ken Crawley. The former undrafted free agent is always progressing. He made a big jump last year, and is showing confidence and skill increases again this offseason. He's a starter now. He's a real asset and a great story for those who like watching the road less traveled.

3. The two-minute drill was the most interesting watch of the day. It was the last period of practice, and featured that competitive atmosphere we witnessed during last year's training camp. The Saints defense had the offense on the ropes, but a pass interference penalty gave quarterback Drew Brees and company an extra chance. Brees broke the huddle and initially didn't like the look. He made due, though; scrambled to his right and found running back Mark Ingram in a tight window along the right sideline. His pass to Ingram connected and the offense scored to win the period.