The Saints drafted nine players this weekend, and they’ll brings their rookie class to 20 with their undrafted free agent crop. The 11 UDFAs joining the rookie group are:
- Dayls Beanum, CB (South Dakota State)
- James Burnip, P (Alabama)
- Jasheen Davis, OLB (Wake Forest)
- Elliott Davison, S (UTSA)
- Moochie Dixon, WR (SMU)
- Easton Kilty, T (Kansas State)
- Tyreem Powell, LB (Rutgers)
- Omari Thomas, DE (Tennessee)
- Torriccelli Simpkins III, G (South Carolina)
- Chris Tyree, WR (Virginia)
- Marcus Yarns, RB (Delaware)
The Saints’ most prominent signing is Yarns, a two-year starter with breakaway speed that helped him rack up 6.4 yards per carry and 34 total touchdowns in his career. He was expected to be a late-Day 3 pick, but his smaller frame may have dropped him out of the draft. He doesn’t play with the physicality to make up for his size, which comes with durability concerns after he missed two games during the 2024 season. However, his potential as a home-run hitter and natural receiving abilities will give him a chance to make the 53-man roster in the Saints’ thin running back room.
After four strong seasons at Alabama, Burnip is looking to continue the trend of Australian-born punters finding success in the NFL. He averaged 45.4 yards per punt in 2024, good for fourth in the SEC and ninth in the nation, while opposing returners averaged a national-low of 1.00 yard per return against the Crimson Tide. Burnip should have a good chance of winning the Saints’ punting job as a rookie.
Simpkins emerged as one of the best offensive linemen in the FCS over his 35 games at North Carolina Central –31 at center, four at right guard – before transferring to South Carolina to cut his teeth against SEC-level competition. He earned a team captaincy in his first year with the Gamecocks and held up well at right guard across his 13 starts in 2024, culminating in a third-team All-SEC selection.
Kilty also started his career in the FCS with starts at right guard, right tackle, and left tackle for North Dakota State. He transferred to Kansas State in 2024 and started 13 games at left tackle with second-team All-Big 12 honors. His 32-inch arms may limit him at tackle in the NFL, but offensive line coaches will appreciate his versatility.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this story.