New Orleans Saints See Undrafted Free Agent Tight End As 'Eighth-Round Draft Pick' After Shocking Draft Slide

It continues to be a mystery why Colorado State alum Dallin Holker fell out of the 2024 NFL Draft, but the New Orleans Saints revel in the opportunity to have them on their team.

CSU football's junior tight end Dallin Holker takes the field as one of the Rams' captains for the Border War against Wyoming at War Mermorial Stadium on Friday Nov. 3, 2023 in Laramie, Wyo. / Cris Tiller/Special to the Coloradoan /

As mandatory minicamps kicked off for the New Orleans Saints, several young players look to be getting greater opportunities. Especially on offense. As noted in Saints News Network's practice observations, wide receiver Mason Tipton, last year's addition running back Jordan Mims and others moved into some first-team opportunities.

While this does not necessarily mean that those players are climbing into starting roles, it does mean that the coaching staff is getting a closer look at what those players can do with starters around them. Another player that has been consistently getting those chances is Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker.

The 6-foot-3, 241-pound Holker surprisingly fell out of the draft this year. But his talents on the field look like someone that should have been selected. After practice, tight ends coach Clancy Barone took the time to speak with me and highlighted how happy the Saints were to land Holker.

"We view him as our as our eighth-round draft choice," Barone said. "And we view that highly. That a guy that probably should have been drafted by everyone's measure throughout the league, for some reason fell to us. And we're very fortunate to have him we're very excited to work with him."

Apparently the fact that the team's coaching staff includes quite a bit of Colorado State alums played a big role in his signing. The former Rams include offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, offensive line coach John Benton and senior offensive assistant Rick Dennison.

Though it would not be hard to imagine that Barone's impressive resume was a particularly impactful draw as well with several Hall of Fame tight ends under his wing throughout his career. A premier developer paired with a premier developmental prospect could be a match made in heaven.

CSU football's junior tight end Dallin Holker is all smiles on the sideline after scoring the Rams' opening touchdown against San Diego State at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. / Cris Tiller / USA TODAY NETWORK

Despite going undrafted, Holker's trajectory looks promising. The team is clearly encouraged by his progress so far and the growing expectations could lead to the young tight end having found a home immediately out of undrafted free agency.

"He understands more and more what it takes to play at this level," Barone said. "And I'm sure by the end of training camp, we're going to see something very, very special."

With all of this praise, one might be curious as to why Holker went undrafted. Though finding a reason may be more challenging than expected. Barone mentioned that everyone around the league he has spoken to viewed Holker as a draftable prospect.

The only way a player considered by, safe to say, the majority of 32 teams to be draftable goes undrafted has to come down to the chaos of the process. One team trades up and drafts thier target, then 31 teams all have to pivot and change their boards accordingly. This happens enough times, or a team makes a surprise selection in a stick-and-pick scenario, and the ripple effect is sizable. Sometimes that ripple effect leads to things like this. A shocking draft fall.

Rather than focusing on what may have led to that draft fall, however. Teams like the Saints are eager to showcase what makes a player valuable. For Holker, the list is long.

"Ball skills, tremendous awareness, football instincts," Barone quickly listed. "And that's something that's hard to coach just showed up on tape, all of his college tape, just very good football instincts. Like knowing knowing where to be, when to be there, staying on the quarterbacks timing. That guy's a great competitor. Those are some things that really stood out to us that we couldn't wait to have be part of what we're trying to do here."

There may be only seven rounds in the NFL draft these days. But the Saints sure feel they got away with an eighth round in 2024 thanks to Holker.