New Orleans Saints: Ranking the UDFAs by likeliness to crack 53-man roster

Players Likely to Make the Practice Squad:

There are four players the New Orleans Saints signed as undrafted free agents who I believe will make the practice squad.

Amongst those four include Texas defensive tackle Malcolm Roach. Roach is a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle who had a great career at Texas. Roach had 130 tackles, 22.5 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, and three passes defended.

Those numbers are remarkable for a defensive tackle. The only reason I think he will make the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster is due to the talent the Saints already have on the defensive line.

The Saints are returning Shy Tuttle, David Onyemata, Sheldon Rankins, Malcolm Brown, and Taylor Stallworth. Stallworth could be cut in favor of Roach if he has a big offseason but it’s a guessing game at this point.

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The next player I think will make the practice squad is former Oregon wide receiver Juwan Johnson.

Johnson is a 6-foot-4 wide receiver who had a solid college career for the Oregon Ducks. Johnson hauled in 111 receptions for 1,590 yards, and six touchdowns in his college career for Penn State and Oregon and will look to continue to haul in receptions at the next level.

Johnson may be the odd man out in a competitive receiver room in New Orleans, but for now, I think he makes the practice squad.

Northern Illinois offensive tackle Jordan Steckler comes in as the next guy I believe will make the Saints practice squad.

Steckler is a good tackle, standing at 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, he should translate well to the NFL. Steckler started 43 games in his NIU career and finished with a 3.7 GPA as well. Steckler may be a practice squad player for a season before cracking the 53-man roster the following season.

The final player who I think will just miss on the 53-man roster cut is Oregon offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton. Throckmorton honestly has a great chance of making the roster due to his versatility and ability to play every position on the offensive line.

Throckmorton started an impressive 52 consecutive games for the Ducks at one point and has proven he can stay on the field and be highly productive.