Tag: Dallin Holker

Countdown to Kickoff: Dallin Holker is the Saints Player of Day 85

Dallin Holker is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 85 as we count down to kickoff. The rookie tight end has a big opportunity in front of him:

It’s always exciting to see an undrafted rookie drawing attention in the spring, and Dallin Holker has earned it. The former Colorado State tight end signed with the New Orleans Saints after the 2024 draft and has already begun making plays at spring practices.

But what are reasonable expectations for him in his rookie year? We’ll seek to answer that while highlighting Holker as our Saints Player of the Day while counting down to kickoff with the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, which is 85 days away. So let’s get to know Holker a little better:

  • Name (Age): Dallin Holker (24)
  • Position: Tight end
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 241 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 7.36
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $798,333
  • College: Colorado State
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

The Saints have experienced a lot of injuries at tight end this spring. Juwan Johnson is set to undergo foot surgery that will sideline him until the start of the regular season. Veteran backups Michael Jacobson and Tommy Hudson both missed time at minicamp after getting banged up. So Holker has been a big beneficiary of the extra practice reps to go around.

Now, that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to make the roster. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said the staff wants to know where Holker is as a blocker, characterizing the missing gap in their evaluations as coming from “a physicality standpoint” after minicamp. But between the positive early returns in passing drills, Holker’s obvious movement skills, and what’s been invested in him (his $235,000 in guarantees were more than two of their draft picks) it’s tough to see him not making the 53-man roster.

As for what Holker can achieve this season? If he does make the team he’ll be playing behind Johnson and Foster Moreau. But Jimmy Graham showed last year that the team’s third tight end can still make plays. It’s unfair to expect Holker to make such an outsized impact as Graham, who either converted a first down or scored a touchdown on all six of his receptions, but Holker should get some opportunities to make plays. Getting bumped up the depth chart over the summer with Johnson on the mend will only help speed up his development.

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Juwan Johnson to miss a ‘good amount of time’ with a leg injury

Juwan Johnson is out with a leg injury. How much time will he miss? Which tight end will step up in his absence?

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson has missed both minicamp practices this week, and on Wednesday evening it was revealed Johnson is dealing with a lower leg injury that would lead him missing a good amount of time per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

The extent and specifics of Johnson’s injury remains unclear. Underhill added that he hadn’t heard whether this injury would sideline Johnson into the season. Johnson was last seen on the field by media on June 5 at organized team activities. This means this injury occurred somewhere in the last week, either at their final OTAs session on June 6, in the weight room, or somewhere else.

The Saints will work out tight end Sal Cannella of the UFL’s Arlington Renegades Thursday. It’s a sign New Orleans was aware of the situation, but their depth has worn down with veteran backups Michael Jacobson and Tommy Hudson also missing practice this week. Foster Moreau, Taysom Hill, and Dallin Holker were the only tight ends available at Wednesday’s practice from start to finish.

Taysom Hill will continue to move around even if he lines up more at tight end due to this injury. Most notably, it opens the door for rookie Holker to make a statement. He’s impressed during the offseason, and this will give him a higher priority in the rotation. This is his opportunity to make a lasting impact heading into training camp.

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Undrafted Saints rookie Dallin Holker given good odds of making the team

Undrafted Saints rookie Dallin Holker was given good odds of making the team. Between his contract guarantees and strong scouting report, he might make the cut:

It’s a hard life for undrafted free agents — about 500 rookies sign with NFL teams after the draft each year, but maybe 50 of them will make the cut and earn a spot on the 53-man roster for Week 1’s kickoff games. And one stands apart when looking at the New Orleans Saints’ undrafted crop: former Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker.

Wide Left’s Arif Hasan studied the rate of undrafted rookies who made the cut for teams over the last three years, and found a good correlation between two factors determining their changes. NFL teams show us how they regard undrafted free agents by guaranteeing a portion of their contracts. And draft analysts’ rankings in Hasan’s consensus board can play a part, too.

We’ll let Hasan explain his methodology:

When accounting for the high correlation between Consensus Big Board rank and guaranteed money (a correlation of -0.48) one can construct a simple model that projects likelihood for undrafted free agents. The base make rate is about nine percent, and a higher consensus board rank and/or a higher guaranteed salary have an equal chance of helping or hurting those odds in the model, from a maximum of 33 percent to a minimum of 4 percent.

So even if a best-case scenario for an undrafted rookie gives them a 33% chance of making the team (not counting practice squad slots; just those who start out on the 53-man roster outright). Keep that 33% number in mind, because this is all relative. Hasan’s model gave Holker a 23.7% chance of making the cut with the Saints this summer, which is seventh-best among the hundreds of undrafted players who signed with NFL teams a few weeks ago.

The Saints guaranteed $235,000 of Holker’s contract. That’s more than any other undrafted free agent they signed this year by a considerable margin, and it ranks among the highest guarantees for these players around the league.

While saying that Holker’s odds of making the team is less than 24% may not be too inspiring, it’s still better than the dozen or so other undrafted rookies who came to New Orleans this offseason. But this is all speculative. At the end of the day it’ll be Holker’s performance at practices and training camp and preseason games that determines whether he joins Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau on the 53-man roster.

And the early returns have been positive. He has clean feet and great movement skills in a small space. Teams aren’t allowed to do many blocking drills or full-contact work this early in the offseason calendar, but Holker has helped himself by catching the ball cleanly and turning upfield in a hurry. He was known as a run-after-catch threat at Colorado State and those skills appear to be translating, though of course defenders aren’t allowed to tackle him with a head full of steam just yet.

Holker needs to keep that momentum going into the summer. He’s competing with veterans like Tommy Hudson and Michael Jacobson, both of whom were on the practice squad last year. Jacobson has stood out in passing drills early on and he won’t make Holker’s quest for a roster spot easy. There’s room for a third tight end with Jimmy Graham training to row across the Arctic Ocean, and the lackluster production the Saints got out of Johnson and Moreau last year should open up a real role for someone like Holker or Jacobson. This might shape up for an entertaining training camp battle after all.

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Dallin Holker labeled Saints’ rookie free agent with best odds to make the team

Dallin Holker was one of the biggest names in the Saints’ UDFA class, and this B/R writer says he has the best chance to make the team:

The New Orleans Saints have had success with undrafted free agents in the recent past. The most recent success has most recently come in the form of special teams additions. Deonte Harty and Rashid Shaheed initially were return specialists before integrating into the offense. Wil Lutz and J.T. Gray were also valuable special teams assets.

Though unproven, the Saints’ 2024 UDFA class is highly rated. The star of that class is Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker. It’s no surprise that Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler believes Holker has the best chance to make the Saints roster of all undrafted free agents. Here’s why:

Dallin Holker led all college tight ends in receiving yards last fall. The Colorado State product is a flex weapon who deserves more attention.

Holker attended both the Shrine Bowl and NFL combine in the lead-up to the draft. He’s a Y/F alignment-versatile tight end who can play on all three downs if needed.

The New Orleans Saints’ current depth chart at the position needs more pop. While the Saints made Holker their highest-paid UDFA, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, he could drastically outplay his contract early in 2024.

Holker was a strong choice by Fowler due to mixture of talent and opportunity. The Saints are likely to keep three tight ends on the 53-man roster. Juwan Johnson (a former undrafted free agent himself), Foster Moreau and a couple of players returning from the practice squad are on the roster, but Graham could be on his way out. Naturally, that would open the door to Holker being the third tight end.

At the Shrine Bowl, Holker caught the eye of many scouts due to more than just his long hair flowing from his helmet. Holker flashed multiple times by operating in the middle of the field. The tight end regularly moved the chains and was a difficult matchup for the linebackers at the Shrine Bowl.

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NFL analyst says Saints signed a top-10 undrafted free agent rookie class

The New Orleans Saints signed another highly-rated class of rookie free agents. Here’s why their undrafted rookies arrive with high expectations:

There aren’t many teams that can match the New Orleans Saints’ success in recruiting, developing, and leaning on undrafted talent. Just in recent years we’ve seen former rookie free agents like Rashid Shaheed, J.T. Gray, Carl Granderson, Juwan Johnson, Deonte Harty and Wil Lutz earn starting jobs and even Pro Bowl recognition after not hearing their names called during the NFL draft.

And this year’s crop has a lot of potential, too. FantasyPros’ Thor Nystrom is  one of the best at evaluating the draft each year, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who more thoroughly studies the players available as undrafted rookies. This year, he ranked the Saints’ class of undrafted free agents at No. 9 among the NFL’s 32 teams.

A major factor in that lofty placement was the pickup of former Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker. Nystrom ranked Holker as his 156th-best prospect in the entire draft, and the seventh-best tight end. Here’s why he’s still high on Holker despite some athletic limitations:

TE Dallin Holker is headed for an H-Back role at the next level that he absolutely has the skill to excel at. The question becomes… does he have the physical ability? Holker lacks speed (4.78), and he needs space to build up to that meager gear (24th-percentile 10-yard split).

Additionally, as one of the classes’ oldest players, there’s a glass ceiling on his potential within that usage-specific role. That said, Holker is a hands-catcher with real ball skills, a rarity amongst this class. Holker’s 10 contested catches last year were two more than any TE in this draft class.

Holker has one genetic quirk that decidedly works in his favor in this area: Holker is tied with the 6’7/260 Brevyn Spann-Ford for the longest arms of my top-15 TE. This gives Holker a deceivingly large catch radius that he uses to great effect, extending those long levers out to greet the rock at its earliest point every time.

Holker posted a sublime 94th-percentile 3-cone and an 83rd-percentile short shuttle. Holker’s change-of-direction fluidness is most evident after the catch, where he was a veritable broken-tackle machine in the Mountain West, finishing No. 2 in this class with 15 last year.

One area to work on at the next level to play up his natural agility and win more separation is footwork efficiency during the route-break process. But, overall, what his routes lack in snap and pizazz, Holker augments with tempo changes and a fun grab bag of upper-body deeks.

But Holker wasn’t the only rookie free agent the Saints signed after the draft. Nystrom is also high on former Yale wide receiver Mason Tipton, who offers game-breaking speed, and who we spoke with in an exclusive interview.  He’s one of several intriguing wideouts the Saints picked up as undrafted free agents, along with Jermaine Jackson (who had four kick return touchdowns at Idaho) and Kyle Sheets (who dominated his competition at Slippery Rock). All three of them should be in the mix for a roster spot or place on the practice squad.

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Saints made a hefty investment in rookie free agent Dallin Holker

The Saints made a hefty investment in rookie free agent Dallin Holker. The former Colorado State tight end has mile-high potential:

Don’t say the New Orleans Saints aren’t willing to spend big to get the players they covet. The Saints guaranteed $235,000 of their contract with rookie Dallin Holker, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, making the former Colorado State tight end their highest-paid undrafted free agent this year. The deal includes a $10,000 signing bonus. He’s essentially guaranteed a spot on the practice squad, but the expectation should be for him to make the 53-man roster outright.

So why is he such an appealing prospect? The raw numbers aside (Holker caught 64 passes for 766 yards last season, scoring 6 touchdown receptions), he’s dangerous with the football in his hands. Pro Football Focus charting found that Holker drew an average depth of target at 8.9 yards, while gaining 5.9 yards after the catch per reception. He forced 15 missed tackles and picked up 38 first downs.

Holker’s times in agility drills at the NFL Scouting Combine were also impressive, with the second-best numbers in the short shuttle (4.21 seconds) and three cone drill (6.83). There aren’t many players this light on their feet at 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds.

But back to on-field performance. Here’s how each of the Saints’ non-Taysom Hill tight ends stacked up in those same per-target and per-catch stats:

  • Juwan Johnson: 8.0 ADOT, 4.0 YAC/R (58 targets)
  • Foster Moreau: 4.7 ADOT, 4.8 YAC/R (25 targets)
  • Jimmy Graham: 8.3 ADOT, 0.7 YAC/R (7 targets)

The jump to the NFL from Colorado State is significant, but he has the physical gifts to succeed. Holker is an early favorite to take Graham’s place as the team’s third tight end. He’ll need to earn bigger opportunities over the summer, but the Saints could use more production out of the position.

Johnson was late to the party last year with Derek Carr under center and didn’t make a consistent impact until the last four games, catching 19 of his 37 passes and gaining 216 of his 368 yards while scoring 3 of his 4 touchdowns and converting 15 of his 23 yards. Moreau was miscast as a blocking tight end and averaged his fewest routes run per game (10.7) since his rookie year.

It’s worth noting both Moreau and Johnson dealt with injuries during the season, but they didn’t make the most of their opportunities, either. If Klint Kubiak has a better vision for the players, great, but they still need to execute when their numbers are called. They can’t afford to slip up with Holker waiting to get his chance.

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Saints rookie Dallin Holker looking like an early UDFA steal

Saints rookie Dallin Holker is already looking like an early UDFA steal out of Colorado State. So why wasn’t he drafted?

It’s early, but it’s safe to say former Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker passes the eye test. The New Orleans Saints acted quickly to sign him as a rookie free agent after he wasn’t picked in the 2024 draft. And when you first pull up Holker’s highlight reel, the first thing that comes to mind is a question: Why wasn’t he drafted? His story helps explain why NFL teams were cool on him.

Holker was a quiet part of BYU’s offense to start his college career, having missed the 2019 and 2020 seasons to serve his two-year religious mission inn Chile. After returning to find a bit part waiting for him  at BYU, he transferred to Colorado State in 2023. And then he broke out with career-highs in catches (64), yards (767), and touchdown receptions (6).

And there’s your problem — or at least what NFL scouting departments saw as problems. Holker turned 24 in April and only put up notable receiving totals in one season at the college level. There’s a perception that he’s already plateaued as an athlete. There isn’t much growth potential in an older prospect with below-average size (6-foot-3, 241 pounds) and speed (4.78 time in the 40 yard dash). He also doesn’t offer much as a blocker and lined up tight to the formation on about 26% of his snaps.

But, hey: if other teams are turned off by those negatives, then the Saints could benefit by focusing on the positives. What he lacks at top speed Holker makes up for in a shorter space (his 6.83 time in the three-cone drill and 4.21 mark in the short shuttle are proof of great agility). He’s dangerous with the ball in his hands, having averaged 5.9 yards after the catch per reception while forcing 15 missed tackles last season. For context, Alvin Kamara led the Saints with 6.6 YAC/R and 13 missed tackles forced last year.

Watch him work and you’ll see Holker fighting hard on 50/50 balls (he literally won 10 of 20 contested catches last year) and showing great vision in the open field to put defenders in bad pursuit angles. He shows off focus on difficult, off-target passes and some slick footwork to separate from opponents in coverage. If he can do for the Saints what Jimmy Graham did last year as the third tight end, he’ll look like a good pickup. Maybe there’s even more here than meets the eye.

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Broncos host CSU TE Dallin Holker on pre-draft visit

The Broncos brought in CSU tight end Dallin Holker for a pre-draft visit. He’s projected to be a late-round pick.

The Denver Broncos hosted Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker on a pre-draft visit earlier this month, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Holker (6-3, 241 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds and a 10-yard split in 1.66 seconds at the NFL combine. He started his college career at BYU in 2018, hauling in 19 receptions for 235 yards and one touchdown as a freshman.

Holker then went on a Mormon missionary trip from 2019-2020. He returned to the football team in 2021 and totaled 14 receptions for 200 yards and one score. After being limited to three games in 2022, Holker transferred to Colorado State ahead of the 2023 season.

Holker had a breakout season last fall, totaling 64 receptions for 767 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. Those numbers were better than his three-year totals in 28 games at BYU (42/521/3).

The 24-year-old tight end is now projected to be a fifth– or sixth-round pick in the NFL draft. The Broncos hold five picks in that part of the draft.

The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27. We are tracking all of Denver’s pre-draft prospect visits on Broncos Wire.

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Bengals reportedly interested in Colorado State TE Dallin Holker

A name to keep an eye on for the Bengals in the draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals still seem to have their eyes set on taking a tight end at some point in the 2024 NFL draft.

Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the team has interest in Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker, who is projected to go somewhere in the third through fifth rounds.

Holker spent his senior season at Colorado State, catching 64 passes for 767 yards and six touchdowns, a massive improvement in his pass-catching from his first three seasons at BYU, where he totaled 42 catches for 521 yards and three touchdowns in those three years.

Conway reported that Bengals tight ends coach James Casey attended the team’s pro day on March 18.

The Bengals haven’t drafted a tight end since they took Drew Sample in the second round of the 2019 draft, but they have met with or shown interest in many of them this offseason including Georgia’s Brock Bowers, Iowa’s Erick All and Texas’ Ja’Tavion Sanders.

All of this interest comes after they signed both Mike Gesicki and Tanner Hudson in free agency. With three tight ends on the roster now, the Bengals have made it so it won’t be necessary to take one in the draft, but if any of them are the best player available at the Bengals pick, they likely would still take another.

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Vikings 2024 7 round mock draft 7.0: Drafting to bolster the offense

What if the Minnesota Vikings used the NFL Draft to bolster the offense? Tyler Forness explores that exact, yet unlikely, strategy

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of different ways they can go in the NFL draft. There will be some discussion on what needs are most important but the Vikings can address most of them through both free agency and the NFL draft.

Each week throughout the leadup to the NFL draft, I will be doing different seven-round mock drafts for the Vikings as a way to explore different scenarios. You never know who might fall to you and how that could cause a ripple effect and being ready for those situations is paramount come draft weekend.

In the second rendition of our seven-round mock draft series, what could a draft look like that has the Vikings focusing solely on the offensive side of the ball after using free agency to fix the defense?

Mock Draft 1.0
Mock Draft 2.0
Mock Draft 3.0
Mock Draft 4.0
Mock Draft 5.0
Mock Draft 6.0