Good morning, and welcome to the Saints Insider newsletter for July 21. Today we're going to talk about opportunity, and why the Saints' success unearthing successful undrafted players has often hinged on that word. Let's get after it. Take a look at the Saints roster from a year ago, and check out how many contributing players did not hear their name called on draft day. Their top receivers, Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harty. An All-Pro special teamer, J.T. Gray. A starting defensive tackle, Shy Tuttle. A promising rotational defensive end, Carl Granderson. All those players started their careers in New Orleans as undrafted rookies, and their ranks will likely grow this season. It's not necessarily that the Saints are any better than other teams at scouting the pool of available players after the draft each year, it's really about what happens next. Drafted players get prestige (and guaranteed contracts), but once the real thing starts, the Saints have largely put aside considerations of draft or veteran status and trust what their eyes tell them. That's huge for players who don't have the status, and it's why the Saints are an attractive destination for higher-profile undrafted rookies. And the Saints have a couple this year who might just make some noise. I took a look at four players here — two of whom are rookies, two are undrafted players with some experience who have yet to make their NFL mark. My pick to click: Tight end Lucas Krull. Social post o' the dayCome for the video of Jameis Winston doing his best to inspire his peers and teammates with this post-practice motivation, leave with the question: Why is Jameis Winston wearing a full uniform including a red non-contact jersey? That's all we have for the day. Thanks as always for your support. Cheers, Luke Johnson |