New Orleans Saints UDFAs to Get Excited About

In the Sean Payton-Drew Brees era, Mickey Loomis and his team of scouts and evaluators have done a great job of finding quality talent in the later rounds and through college free agency. 

Pierre Thomas is the preeminent talent they have signed and developed, but not the only one. Jonathan Casillas is another member of the current squad who has excelled with the New Orleans Saints after having been picked up as a college free agent. 

With a poor draft, the Saints are going to have to hope that this year's undrafted class reaps fruit; otherwise, the 2012 draft may be seen as a complete waste in a couple years (then again, Nick Toon may develop so well that it won't really matter). 

Here are a few prospects the Saints brought into camp who could very well make the team and contribute in the coming years. 

Arkansas S Jerico Nelson

I highlighted Jerico Nelson's tremendous professional progress last week in an OTAs article. It is clear that Nelson is a player who fits Steve Spagnuolo's scheme very well. 

And he has played four years of professional football (the Southeastern Conference counts doesn't it?). How he was not drafted, I know not. 

Expect the undervalued Nelson to make the Saints' 53-man roster and compete for playing time right away. He should play on special teams immediately, and in the near future, could become a great backup safety option who plays quite often in nickel sub-packages. 

His presence will make Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper better.

Oklahoma State S Johnny Thomas

Steve Spagnuolo likes his safeties. He isn't afraid to play three or four of them at once. 

And Johnny Thomas is a prospect worth keeping an eye on if you're Spagnuolo. At 5'11", he has the requisite size to play the position. 

And though he hasn't played professionally like Nelson (Big 12 doesn't quite count), he has playing experience at one of the highest levels possible. It figures to be only a matter of time before the former Cowboy lights somebody up in workouts or flies in for a sneaky interception. 

He will make plays. His inclusion on the 53-man roster or practice squad will have more to do with other positions and how the men at the safety spot fit into the overall complexion of the roster. 

TCU DE Braylon Broughton

Braylon Broughton has a chance to be a proverbial "late-bloomer." He started just five games at Texas Christian for one of the finest programs in the country. 

At 6'6", 272 lbs., Broughton has everything you'd want in a 4-3 defensive end. He's got the size and strength to excel in the NFL. 

And what he lacks in maturity he has a chance to make up for in talent. It's interesting that a similar type of talent, Jason Pierre-Paul, was drafted in the first round two years ago by the New York Giants. Look how that turned out for him. 

That said, Broughton's upside likely isn't as high as Pierre-Paul's. But if he could become anything close to what the former South Florida Bull became, the Saints would be more than ecstatic. 

Nebraska-Omaha/Saints (NFL) TE Michael Higgins

Including Michael Higgins on this list is a bit of a stretch. In fact, I'm cheating by doing so. 

But the New Orleans Saints have fallen in love with the Nebraska-Omaha product. Though he spent the majority of the regular season in the Saints' building, he hardly played. He registered just one catch during the regular season, but also added one in the postseason. 

The time he spent on the postseason roster, and the number of snaps he took, made it pretty clear the Saints liked him as a third-string tight end. 

With a year under his belt in the Saints' system, it is not unreasonable to think can take a nice big leap in his production in 2012. 

Walsh College/Saints WR/Returner Joseph Morgan

Much like with Michael Higgins, Joseph Morgan's positioning on this list is a bit of a stretch. But that doesn't make it any less relevant. 

Morgan, of course, missed the entire 2011 regular season with a knee injury. Had he not been hurt, it's ambiguous as to whether he would have made the squad as a returner or been cut and left as an option for the other 31 teams in the league to capture. 

In that sense, his injury was a blessing disguise. He was placed on the injured reserve list and is still a New Orleans Saint as a result. 

And that is beyond a blessing. Right now, he figures to get at least some of the return opportunities for the sake of saving Darren Sproles. 

And he has proven through OTAs to provide a similar kind of deep threat capability as the departed Robert Meachem. If he lives up to all that hype, Morgan could quickly become a household name for the New Orleans Saints. 

One Other CB

With an overall lack of depth at the cornerback position, it is not unreasonable to think the New Orleans Saints could keep an undrafted free agent around at the position to start 2012. 

It is also possible Corey White could win the fifth corner job, but there's a chance that if he is outperformed he will not. 

Anyway, the three possible players who could take his spot as the fifth corner are:

Georgia Southern CB Laron Scott: 5'9", 179 lbs. 

Newberry CB Kamaal McIlwain: 5'10", 175 lbs. 

Jacksonville State CB A.J. Davis: 6'0", 183 lbs. 

All of these guys would love to become the next Jabari Greer who was undrafted out of Tennessee before he starred with the Buffalo Bills. He, of course, is now the most underrated corner in all of football. 

And that's what all of these kids are hoping to do. They want to become stars. And the Saints want them to as well. If any of them are going to, it's most likely they will come from this list. 

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