Saints Follow Up Strong NFL Draft By Bringing In 10 Undrafted Free Agents

The New Orleans Saints had a strong NFL Draft by most accounts, as the graded B or above by most major outlets, and they followed that up by signing 10 undrafted free agents.

The team announced Sunday they have come to terms with: Ohio State running back CJ Donaldson, offensive tackles Alan Herron of Maryland and Alex Wollschlaeger of Kentucky, defensive linemen Michael Heldman of Central Michigan, Jay’Viar Suggs of Wisconsin and KeeShawn Silver of USC, cornerbacks DaShawn Jones of Alabama and Jeremiah McClendon of Southern Illinois, kicker Mason Shipley of Texas and North Carolina State tight end Cody Hardy.

The most notable, in part because of his position and school, is Donaldson.

He spent his first three collegiate seasons in the Big 12 at West Virginia before transferring to Ohio State. While his scoring totals remained similar (10 touchdowns in 2025 as compared to 11 each in 2023 and 2024), his rushing yards dipped significantly, going from 1,532 combined his sophomore and junior seasons to just 361 last year on 96 carries.

Before last season, he told On SI it wasn’t an easy decision to leave the Mountaineers, but that “what separated the Buckeyes from every other program was coach (Carlos) Locklyn…and Coach (Ryan) Day had a big impact on it," Donaldson said. "Coach Lock, he told me that he would challenge me and help me develop into the player that I know I can be.”

CJ Donaldson deserves more love in the 2026 Draft

Donaldson’s College Career:
- 517 Carries
- 2,419 Rushing Yards
- 40 TDs

Who’s gonna take a chance on Donaldson 👀 pic.twitter.com/kNh2eCyhSj
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) April 15, 2026

However, he was stuck mostly behind freshman Bo Jackson, who carried 179 times for 1,090 yards and six touchdowns. Donaldson, however, did lead the team in rushing scores and was only two behind one of the top receivers in college football – Jeremiah Smith – for the overall team scoring lead.

Shipley will try to open a kicker battle in the offseason and training camp, as he comes in from the Longhorns having made 51 of 59 field-goal attempts last season. That came after he spent 2021-24 at Texas State, where he left as the school’s all-time leader in field-goal percentage (.886).

#Saints UDFA K Mason Shipley pic.twitter.com/KnWssG7Pn1
— Joe Horns Cell Phone (@JoeHornsPhone) April 26, 2026

Jones, 6-0, 190, spent the first half of his college career at Wake Forest before transferring to Alabama, where he started eight of his 26 games played. He made 43 tackles and had an 18-yard interception return for a touchdown against South Carolina last year.

Heldman, 6-3, 268, had 42 starts in a five-year career at Central Michigan, and he finished with 120 total tackles with 19 sacks. Silver, 6-4, 330, played in 43 games at North Carolina (2021 and 2022), Kentucky (2023 and 2024) and USC last year. Herron was a two-year starter at Maryland and played right tackle last season.

Suggs played at three different schools, including at LSU in 2024, while Wollschlaeger is the most experienced of the UDFA class, starting 51 of the 56 games he played in at Bowling Green State (2020 to 2024) and Kentucky (2025).

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