2020 Saints UDFA class graded one of the NFL’s strongest

Rotoworld’s Thor Nystrom praised the class of 2020 undrafted free agents signed by the New Orleans Saints, LB Joe Bachie in particular.

[jwplayer Yy4Q6WAG-ThvAeFxT]

The 2020 NFL Draft is well behind us, but the selections made are just part of the equation that determines whether teams improved by adding young talent out of the college ranks. The flurry of recruiting and signing of rookies who were not picked impacts every team in the league, and the New Orleans Saints are one franchise that appreciates that area of roster-building.

According to a ranking put together by Rotoworld’s Thor Nystrom, the Saints have put together the third-best group of undrafted free agents around the NFL. While Nystrom particularly valued pickups like Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Malcolm Roach and Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie (who received more contract guarantees than some recent Saints draft picks), he also lauded the Saints for their aggressive strategy of making moves to draft high-end players while getting an early start on the post-draft recruiting circuit. He wrote:

The Saints use their late Day 3 picks to trade up for prospects they’ve targeted who are falling. When New Orleans is out of picks and ESPN analysts say they’re “done drafting for the year,” that isn’t exactly true… it seems to be part and parcel of a larger prospect acquisition strategy. While other teams are drafting on Saturday, monitoring their boards and negotiating trades, the Saints are calling their top UDFA targets. They literally get a jump on the rest of the league. It’s genius.

Nystrom was also a fan of the 2019 Saints undrafted free agent class, ranking it the best in the league. Last year’s group saw contributors like returns specialist Deonte Harris and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle create an immediate boost, so he’s clearly right to point out that New Orleans knows what it’s doing in this phase of the offseason.

You can find Nystrom’s full writeup and NFL rankings at this link, or where we’ve embedded them below:

[vertical-gallery id=32968]