Good NFL teams draft well, but great ones find diamonds in the rough as undrafted free agents. And that’s how the New Orleans Saints found Rashid Shaheed. The former Weber State wideout was not drafted while recovering from a knee injury, so the Saints gave him a shot — and he’s done nothing but beat expectations while climbing the depth chart year over year.
He certainly has fans at Pro Football Focus. PFF’s Bradley Locker identified breakout candidates for all 16 teams in the NFC, and Shaheed was the clearest choice for the Saints. Here’s why expectations are high for him in 2024:
Shaheed made the 2023 All-Pro team as a returner, but don’t sleep on his receiving skills. Last year, he earned a 69.4 receiving grade and dropped just four of his 71 targets. He’s also a dynamic threat down the field, with his 99.9 deep receiving grade pacing the position. Having cut ties with longtime star Michael Thomas, the Saints will need new faces to step up next to Chris Olave, and Shaheed has a fast track to do so under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. If Kubiak uses Shaheed more over the middle of the field as well as in motion, he could become a legitimate weapon.
You could argue that Shaheed already broke out last season; he finished 10th in all-purpose yards (1,479) and was the only player in the league with 700-plus yards from scrimmage and returns. As Locker said, he’s a dynamic deep threat with reliable hands. With more opportunities opening up after the team moved on from Thomas, Shaheed could stand to benefit.
But much of that is on him. The Saints took him off the field at times last year to get backups like Lynn Bowden and Keith Kirkwood into games for running downs, given their greater blocking ability. Shaheed only has about 180 pounds to throw around but becoming more of an all-around asset might convince his coaches to give him more reps. And if he’s out there more often then he’ll be getting open and earning more targets. It’s all connected.
There’s no doubting his receiving skills but running clean routes, catching the ball and making a play isn’t all that’s asked of the Saints’ receivers. Let’s see if he levels up in 2024.
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