New Orleans Saints 2018 Undrafted Free Agency Tracker

The New Orleans Saints finished off their draft selections and quickly made progress in recruiting undrafted free agents. We’ll track them here as they’re reported, but it’s worth noting that nothing is official until it’s announced by the team. The Saints went into the draft with 79 players rostered and used all 7 of their allotted picks, so this year’s group of undrafted signings will probably be smaller than usual as New Orleans gets closer to the 90-man offseason roster limit.

• Temple Owls wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He was second on the team in receptions (45) and first in yards (673), tied for the lead in touchdowns (7).
• South Carolina Gamecocks defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth, via Brett Tessler of Tessler Sports Agency. He rotated in and out of SC’s front and had 5.5 tackles for loss (1 sack) and 5 pass breakups the last two years.
• Wake Forest Demon Deacons and South Carolina center/guard Cory Helms, via his Twitter account. Helms started four years between the two programs, redshirting in-between after transferring due to a family member’s severe illness.
• Cincinnati Bearcats cornerback Linden Stephens, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. He has bagged 6 interceptions and 20 pass deflections in his four-year career.
• Colorado Buffaloes offensive tackle Jeromy Irwin, per the Buffaloes team Twitter account. He has started three years and been nominated team captain twice while earning an 2017 All-Pac 12 Team honorable mention.
• Tennessee Vols linebacker Colton Jumper, per Wes Rucker of 247Sports. He had 14 tackles for loss of yards the last two years as a starter, and 4.5 sacks as a senior.
• Eastern Illinois long snapper A.J. Hantak, per Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune. Hantak has accepted an invitation to the Saints’ rookie minicamp practices, and shares an alma mater with Saints head coach Sean Payton.
• Western Kentucky Hilltoppers tight end Deon Yelder, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He was second in receptions (52) and yards (688) as a senior, while leading the team in touchdowns (7).
• Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux, per Nick Underhill of the Advocate. He is a tall interior lineman (6-foot-4, 297-pounds) who had 17 tackles for loss and 9 sacks the last three years as a starter.
• Ole Miss Rebels offensive lineman Daronte Bouldin, per Priority Athletes sports agency. He was primarily a backup and spot-starting left guard who appeared in 41 games over four years.
• Nebraska Cornhuskers offensive lineman David Knevel, per Justin Dunk of 3 Down Nation. He is a huge tackle (6-foot-8.5-inches, 333-pounds) from Ontario, Canada and appeared in 31 games over four years. He accepted an invitation to the Saints’ upcoming rookie minicamp.
• Wake Forest tight end Cameron Serigne, per Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst. He is an accomplished receiving threat, collecting 174 catches, 2075 yards, and 21 scores over four years as a starter. Serigne was invited to the Saints’ rookie minicamp.
• Mississippi State Bulldogs safety J.T. Gray, per the official Mississippi State football team Twitter account. Gray led the Bulldogs last year in pass deflections (8) and was third in total tackles (64).
• Tennessee wide receiver Josh Smith, per his official Twitter account. He accepted a rookie minicamp invitation after catching 63 passes for 764 yards and five scores over his five-year career.
• South Florida Bulls running back D’Ernest Johnson, per his official Twitter account. He was invited to the Saints’ rookie minicamp after setting a new school record in all-purpose yards (4,186) and receptions by a running back (73).
• Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett, per the official Ohio State football team Twitter account. Barrett accepted a rookie minicamp inviation and is a long shot to make the roster, but he could outplay Tom Savage. He’s completed 63.4-percent of his passes in college while throwing for 9,434 yards and 104 touchdowns to just 30 interceptions. Update: NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo claims that Barrett is being signed to the 90-man roster rather than just coming down for a tryout. NFLN Network insider Ian Rapoport later reported that the Saints and Barrett agreed to a three-year contract, which is typical for undrafted free agents. Whether Barrett sees that agreement to its end remains to be seen, but it’s a sizable investment given the circumstances.
• Minnesota Golden Gophers tight end Nate Wozniak, per the official Minnesota football team Twitter account. The 6-foot-9, 270-pound Wozniak turned down minicamp invitations from the Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders to sign with the Saints after the draft. He only caught 28 passes over three years in college, but the Saints continue to go hard after undrafted tight ends.
• Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Jesse Ertz, per Herbie Teope of NFL Media. Ertz accepted an invitation to the Saints’ rookie minicamp practices on a tryout basis. Ertz only appeared in 18 games over the last two years, completing 56.9-percent of his passes for 2,685 yards and 16 touchdowns to 7 interceptions.
• Southeastern Louisiana offensive lineman Maea Teuhema, per Mike Gegenheimer of the Advocate. Teuhema transferred to SLU after two seasons with the LSU Tigers, where he started two years at left guard and right tackle. He won the starting role at left tackle for SLU last season and was named first-team All-Southland Conference.
• Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Ermon Lane, per his official Twitter account. He is attending next weekend’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

The Saints have a strong roster thanks to several good drafts; hopefully the 2018 class turns out better than it looks on paper. Because of the few available roster spots and competitive position groups fighting for 53 jobs on the opening-day roster, expect most of the big-name undrafted rookies to look at lesser teams for landing spots. Stay tuned for more updates as they are reported.