There aren't many NFL hopefuls that would prefer to go undrafted, but in some cases that's the optimal situation when it allows a player to pick a spot they fit best.
That's what Dallin Holker is hoping to be the case in joining the Saints as one of their 16 undrafted free agents, a scenario the former Colorado State tight end broke down on WWL Radio this week.
"I always wanted to go down to Louisiana and we’re like, hey, it seems like the best fit, so let’s do it," Holker told WWL's Mike Detillier and Charlie Long. I felt really good about it, I was praying the whole day and stuff, but yea, it just felt right so I’m super grateful and thankful for the opportunity.”
Listen to the full, exclusive interview with new Saints TE Dallin Holker in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
That fit hasn't always been there for the 6-4, 235-pound Holker, most notably during his first three collegiate season when he played for BYU. Holker appeared in 28 games for the Cougars but caught just 42 passes for 501 yards and 3 touchdowns over that span.
He easily cleared those figures in just 12 games after transferring to Colorado State, hauling in 64 passes for 767 yards and six tight ends while being named a finalist for the Mackey award, handed out to the NCAA's top tight end.
"I’m still kind of confused at what was happening at BYU," Holker said. "I feel like they weren’t giving me opportunities, and at Colorado State I feel like the coaching staff and my teammates did a great job of -- they just trusted in me and definitely, they gave me those opportunities to go out there and show what I can be.”
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For Holker to stick around and make an impact on the Saints, he'll have to travel the difficult path of UDFA to the pros. With limited roster spots available, undrafted rookies really have to stand out and, in many cases, luck into a thin depth chart at their position. The Saints certainly wouldn't qualify as being loaded at TE with former UDFA Juwan Johnson sitting as the top option, along with veteran Foster Moreau. Taysom Hill could also be considered in that group, but he's listed as a quarterback on the roster.
For UDFAs to stick around, it would typically take more than just standing out as a pass-catcher. Can Holker block at an NFL level? Can he make an impact on special teams? Those are questions Holker says he's eager to answer.
“I’ve done pretty much every special teams that there is, you know, from high school til now, and I just would love it," Holker said. "I think it’s part of the game that kind of gets slept on because people like doing their offense or their defense, but I think, you know, on special teams you get to be a football player. So I think that’s when it really gets fun and you just get involved in everything that’s happening in the game.”
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MORE FROM HOLKER
On run-after-catch ability
“It’s something I love to do, also. I think it’s tough because it’s kind of one of those things where in practice, you’re not really tackling a whole lot, so it’s tough to practice something like that. So I really think when it comes to making plays after you catch the ball, I really think it’s a mindset and I feel like I have that type of mindset. It’s something that I love watching players who can do stuff when they catch the ball and make guys miss and stuff, so you know, it’s definitely something always that I’m thinking about and that I like to do.”
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On viral combine drill
“That was definitely crazy. See the thing that – I think it was a commercial break, so it didn’t really like show what happened, but I was the third person to go, and so the first guy went to the left instead of going to the right at the end, and then the next guy in front of me turned the wrong way. So when it was my turn I was thinking way too much, I was like I don’t want to mess up in front of all the people in line and stuff and all the coaches here, so I was thinking way too much about it. But I caught that last ball and I was like, I’m pretty close to the sideline, so I started to turn up and then I was like, maybe I should just make sure there’s not another ball and luckily I saw it last second, so I got pretty lucky, but definitely glad I caught it.”
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What you'll be working on this offseason
“I think there’s definitely a lot of things, you know, coming from college to the NFL … it’s very different, a way different playbook and stuff. So I’m gonna do everything that I possibly can, you know, like I’m trying to pick everyone’s brain and learn as much as I can to be the best pro that I can be possible. So I’m going there with an open mind about everything, asking a ton of questions, just going to try to learn as much as I possibly can to become the best tight end I can possible be.”