Saints: Which UDFAs have the best shot at making the 53-man roster?
By Darral Nail
Saints UDFAs who are in the hunt to make the 53-man roster
Mike Brown, Guard
West Virginia guard Mike Brown was one of the largest prospects under consideration in this year’s draft process. At 6’4″ and 340 pounds, it is perhaps unsurprising that Brown profiles as a power run blocker despite having played in West Virginia’s spread offensive attack.
Having begun playing the game a mere two years post-high school by way of JUCO program Eastern Arizona, it is all the more impressive that Brown was able to ascend to a multi-year starter at a Power Five program in such a short time, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior.
Brown is a massive, ascending player who draws rave reviews for his competitive character and locker room presence. Though likely a guard-only prospect at this point, the makeup of the Saints roster of offensive linemen would appear able to offset a presumed lack of versatility on Brown’s part were he to out-duel the likes of Will Clapp along the interior.
Even if cracking the ranks of one of the NFL’s top offensive lines as a rookie might seem a bit rich, Brown could find himself in the mix and would seem a tailor-made candidate for the team’s practice squad.
Stevie Scott, Running Back
If college productivity is your thing, allow me to introduce you to Indiana running back Stevie Scott. The 6’2″, 235-pounder from Indiana drew an invite to this year’s (nonexistent) NFL draft combine after finishing his 3-year collegiate career with over 2,500 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns.
Despite foregoing his senior season to enter this year’s draft, Scott arrives in NOLA via the UDFA process, largely by virtue of a 4.66-second 40-yard dash at Indiana’s pro day that could have, in effect, removed him from a number of team’s draft boards altogether.
While unlikely to take a roster spot from Ty Montgomery or Dwayne Washington, Scott is likely a better pure prospect than current Saint practice squad back Tony Jones Jr. and could be of value should the Saints staff see fit to carry a true short-yardage back.
Either way, Scott could be a favorite to claim a spot on the practice squad with the upside of a late-season call-up.