A quick look at the New Orleans Saints' UDFA class

The New Orleans Saints have a history of finding talent in the pool of undrafted players. And that history, in turn, entices talented UDFAs to come to New Orleans.

Pierre Thomas, Junior Galette, Khiry Robinson, Chris Ivory and Ken Crawley are just a few UDFA players that have stuck with the Saints in the past. Willie Sneed, though he didn’t sign originally with the Saints, was also an UDFA. Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints have a “doesn’t matter where you came from” mentality in training camp, and that’s allowed a number of talented prospects to find their way onto their roster.

And that’s an important part of building a competitive team. Remember, Malcolm Butler was an UDFA. In fact, there are more UDFAs in the hall of fame than there are #1 picks.

Last year alone, five UDFA signings found their way onto the field. Ken Crawley, De’Vante Harris, Tommylee Lewis, Landon Turner and Jake Lampman all emerged as contributors. A few bad plays have clouded De’Vante Harris’s future with the team, but he still has a chance to make the roster. And each of the other four have made strong arguments for their belonging in this league. Crawley, Lewis and Lampman especially seem destined to make the final 53. And that’s not even including the seven UDFAs players that made it to the practice squad in 2016.

Now that the Saints have announced their most recent UDFA signings, it’s worth taking a look. We’ll provide a more in-depth breakdown of each prospect in the coming weeks. We’ve already begun the process with two of their signings.

The UDFA Class

Wide Receivers:

Travin Dural, LSU
Ahmad Fulwood, Florida

Fullbacks:

John Robinson-Woodgett, Massachusetts

Linebackers:

Sae Tautu, BYU

Cornerbacks:

Arthur Maulet, Memphis

Defensive Tackles:

Devaroe Lawrence, Auburn

Offensive lineman:

Cameron Lee, G, Illinois State
Clint Van Horn, OL, Marshall
Cameron Tom, C, Southern Miss
Andrew Lauderale, T, New Hampshire
Collin Buchanan, T Miami of Ohio

Long Snapper:

Chase Dominguez, Utah

You’ll note the Saints made a point to bring in OL talent. That suggests they’re not satisfied with the backend of that position. Players like Jack Allen may be on the bubble.

Among the list, the player most immediately turning heads is Memphis CB Arthur Maulet. His path to the roster, as is the case with many of these players, will be special teams. But the Saints paid a premium to bring him to New Orleans, and it looks like they expect him to compete.

We’ll update this list if anything changes.

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A quick look at the Saints’ UDFA class

By Ty Anania | May 2, 2017