As obligatory minicamps began for the New Orleans Saints, several young players appear to be getting more opportunity. Particularly on offense. According to Saints News Network’s practice observations, wide receiver Mason Tipton, running back Jordan Mims, and others have stepped into first-team roles.
While this does not necessarily imply that those players are advancing to starting positions, it does indicate that the coaching staff is taking a closer look at what those players can do with starters around them. Dallin Holker, a tight end at Colorado State, has also seen plenty of opportunities.
The 6-foot-3, 241-pound Holker unexpectedly dropped out of the draft this year. However, his on-field abilities appear to indicate that he should have been selected. After practice, tight ends coach Clancy Barone spoke with me and expressed how pleased the Saints were to have Holker.
“We view him as our as our eighth-round draft choice,” Barone stated. “And we value that immensely. For whatever reason, we ended up with a player who should have been picked by everyone in the league. And we are quite blessed to have him, and we are very pleased to work with him.”
Apparently, the fact that the team’s coaching staff contains a large number of Colorado State alumni played a significant factor in his signing. The former Rams include offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, offensive line coach John Benton, and senior offensive assistant Rick Dennison.
It’s not hard to think that Barone’s remarkable resume, which included multiple Hall of Fame tight ends under his tutelage over his career, was also a big lure. A premier developer and a premier developmental prospect could be the perfect marriage.
Despite being undrafted, Holker’s future appears bright. The squad is certainly delighted by his improvement thus far, and rising expectations may result in the rookie tight end finding a home right away as an undrafted free agent.
“He understands more and more what it takes to play at this level,” Barone stated. “And I’m sure by the end of training camp, we’re going to see something very, very special.”
Given all of this acclaim, one would wonder why Holker went undrafted. Finding a reason may be more difficult than thought. According to Barone, everyone he has spoken with throughout the league believes Holker is a draftable potential.
The only possibility for a player considered draftable by the majority of 32 clubs to go undrafted is due to the chaos of the process. One club trades up and drafts their target, forcing the other 31 teams to pivot and modify their boards appropriately. This happens enough times, or a team makes an unexpected option in a stick-and-pick scenario, and the ripple effect is significant. Sometimes the ripple effect results in something like this. A surprising draft drop.
Rather than focusing on what may have caused the draft to decline. Teams like as the Saints are eager to demonstrate what makes a player valuable. Holker’s list is lengthy.
“Ball skills, tremendous awareness, and football instincts,” Barone promptly stated. “And that’s something that’s difficult to coach; it really showed up on his college footage, just very outstanding football instincts. Like knowing where to go, when to be there, and keeping up with the quarterback’s timing. That guy is an excellent competitor. Those are some of the things that really struck out to us, and we can’t wait to incorporate them into what we’re doing here.”
Nowadays, the NFL draft may only consist of seven rounds. But the Saints believe they got away with an eighth round in 2024 owing to Holker.
