Top 3 Saints Undrafted Free Agents to Keep An Eye on During OTAs

Each year there are multiple UDFAs who have a chance to make the Saints roster. It’s no different this summer.

Offensive tackle Alan Herron hopes to make the New Orleans Saints roster as an undrafted free agent. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

It seems like the chances for an undrafted free agent to make any given NFL team might be long. However, year after year, teams continue to find diamonds in the rough. The New Orleans Saints are no different.

Last year, there were not only several UDFAs who contributed, but some who started.

Tight end Juwan Johnson played at Penn State and Oregon and went undrafted in 2020. He is currently the 12th-highest paid tight end in the NFL. Carl Granderson was undrafted out of Wyoming in 2019. He is now 14th on the Saints’ all-time sack list and needs 11 more to move into the top 10.

There have been plenty others in the history if the franchise and all across the NFL, including a few of the all-time great quarterbacks, such as Kurt Warner, Warren Moon and Tony Romo.

What about this year for the Saints? As OTAs begin Wednesday (May 27), a question we certainly will be following is: Who are the UDFAs with the greatest chance to make this team?

Let’s take the top three and go through why they could fit in New Orleans for Coach Kellen Moore:

OT Alan Herron, Maryland, 6-5, 320

It’s a little bit of a surprise that a team didn’t take a flyer on Herron toward the end of the draft. He maybe is slightly shorter than a typical tackle, but his college résumé says he has a solid chance to be a solid pro.

He started all 24 games at right tackle for Maryland after transferring from Division II Shorter University (that’s not a joke!) in Rome, Ga., following his sophomore season. Oh, he also started every game in 2022 and 2023 there, which means he hasn’t missed a game since sometime in high school.

Maryland OL Alan Herron does a great job of riding his man outside on this rep pic.twitter.com/Adiv6mL2sz

— Joe DeLeone (@joedeleone) January 28, 2026

He was honorable mention All-Big Ten last season and was on the All-Academic Team (finishing with the highest GPA on his college team). He was a game captain for the Terrapins, and he had the 10th-highest combine score for athleticism at the NFL combine.

Considering the Saints lack of depth on the O-line, Herron is a player we not only will watch during OTAs, but it would be a surprise if – at the minimum – he isn’t on this team’s practice squad this season and could be the top UDFA player in this class.

DT Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss, 6-8, 330

OK, there was no way we weren’t including a guy who many experts said has “Day 2 talent,” which means in a normal circumstance would be a second- or third-round draft pick.

His past and multiple problems with the law clearly had an impact on him going undrafted. He was charged with domestic violence in August 2024, and just 13 months earlier was arrested for DUI and felony fleeing, among other issues.

Harris also had surgery on his right foot just after the combine, where he did well enough for NFL.com to give him the grade of “eventually will be average starter.”

Ole Miss DT Zxavian Harris is joining the New Orleans Saints.

The Mississippi native registered 123 total tackles including 17.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks across four seasons in Oxford. Harris tallied 10 tackles in the Rebels Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia: pic.twitter.com/jBU5caS5rF

— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) May 2, 2026

Some of his numbers at Ole Miss throughout his 52 games played since 2022 were pretty eye-opening. Last year, Harris collected nine tackles for loss with three sacks, and his performance in the quarterfinals of the CFP against Georgia helped propel the Rebels to the semis, with 10 tackles overall, a sack and a TFL.

While the Saints clearly have addressed this position in the draft with second-round pick Christen Miller and with solid depth here, one would have to think Harris has an excellent chance of being a part of this team – at least in the near term.

RB CJ Donaldson, Ohio State, 6-2, 230

We could have taken the easy way out here and said listed Edge / LB Michael Heldman from Central Michigan or made a fun pick with wide receiver Brock Rechsteiner, but we chose logical. And logically, the Saints need help at running back maybe as much as anywhere but defensive back.

Enter Donaldson, whose numbers at West Virginia and Ohio State won’t wow anyone, but he has the look of a player who could come in and be one of this offseason’s bigger surprises.

Which of these 10 undrafted free agents will make the #Saints team? There are a few interesting prospects in here. https://t.co/9iyOUiT5Au #NFL

— Jim Derry (@JimDerryJr) April 26, 2026

First off, he presents something the Saints lack, and that’s a solid backup running back who can be “the guy” in short-yardage situations. He scored 34 touchdowns the past three seasons, including 11 last year with the Buckeyes.

NFL.com lists some of his strengths as “Thick-framed back with outstanding touchdown production,” “Runs with square pads and downhill commitment,” and “Leans and drives through contact to break tackles or fall forward.”

Check, check, check. All things this team desperately needs.

In other words, keep an eye on this guy during OTAs and into the summer.