Saints UDFA Lucas Krull is an intriguing addition to TE depth chart

The New Orleans Saints didn’t draft a tight end in the 2022 NFL Draft but they added some names at the position in undrafted free agency. The UDFA tight end we’ll be discussing in this article is Lucas Krull out of Pittsburgh.

Krull spent two years at Florida and then transferred to Pittsburgh in 2020. This past year was easily his best season but it wasn’t enough to get the Panther tight end drafted. He racked up 38 catches for 451 yards and six touchdowns during his 2021 season and was one of Kenny Pickett’s favorite weapons.

The newest Saints tight end is clearly excited to be joining the black and gold.

Saints add intriguing TE UDFA in Lucas Krull

Fans had low expectations for the Saints adding a tight end in the draft but it definitely felt unlikely considering the number of players they have at the position. Taysom Hill is moving to tight end this year and the three big names at the position from a year ago are all returning (Adam Trautman, Nick Vannett, and Juwan Johnson).

With those four guys on the roster, one might not think that Krull has much of a chance to make a splash but that’s simply not true. Yes, Hill and Trautman are near-locks to make the team but Vannett and Johnson aren’t givens.

NOLA could save $1.1 million by releasing Vannett after the June 1 deadline, per Spotrac. That’s not an insane amount of money by any stretch of the imagination but if Krull ends up impressing the team this summer, it’d be enough to move on from someone who underwhelmed last year to add a promising youngster to the roster. Johnson is only making $895,000 this year, so parting ways with him wouldn’t break the bank either.

Maybe the Saints are content with what they have at tight end but considering the lack of production from the three aforementioned players, would it be that crazy to see Lucas Kroll or another young tight end work his way up the depth chart during the preseason?

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Here’s to hoping Kroll packs a punch on offense this summer.