Typically it’s not good business to go after undrafted rookie tight ends, but the Saints could be sitting on one who’ll get on the field some. Reports suggest Dallin Holker is getting some reps with the first-unit offense.
Per an article at NOLA.com, Holker caught a touchdown from Derek Carr during 7 on 7 drills on Saturday, and he also got in the end zone on Friday.
Holker has less than ideal size. He measured 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds at the combine, and the Saints have him listed at 241 pounds now. He also ran a lesser 4.77 at Indianapolis. That contributed to him going undrafted.
But Holker seems to have a good sense of spacing and how to play, which is more important than a 40 time at the position. Jason Witten, as one example, didn’t move very well in the second half of his career but still piled up plenty of catches.
Holker was productive last year at Colorado State, catching 64 passes for 767 yards and 6 TDs. Trey McBride caught 26 more passes his final season at that school, but with 5 fewer touchdowns. (They both averaged about 12 yards per catch.)
“He’s got football awareness and football intelligence,” Dennis Allen says. “That allows him to find soft spots in zones and things of that nature. He’s really good when the picture changes. For a young guy, to be advanced in that way from a football intelligence standpoint, is pretty impressive.”
Mostly, Holker looks a little interesting to because of the roster around him. Juwan Johnson has been sidelined because of foot surgery but likely will be ready in September. The Saints also have Foster Moreau, but he’s more of a blocker than a pass catcher.
Holker will be worth a look in the preseason opener. No doubt he’ll be playing a bunch.
But at the same time, he’s a rookie free agent, and it’s rare to see such players make much of an impact, particularly in their first season. In the 32-team era, only one undrafted rookie tight end has finished with top-20 numbers – Tim Wright for the Bucs. Only four others have even cracked the top 40 (using PPR scoring).
Those five players tended to come from modest football schools – Rutgers, UCLA and three same schools – Kent State, Stony Brook, Lehigh.
| BEST ROOKIE FREE AGENT TIGHT ENDS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | School | Rec | Yds | TD | PPR | Rk |
| 2013 | Tim Wright, T.B. | Rutgers | 54 | 571 | 5 | 141.3 | 13 |
| 2003 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | Kent State | 24 | 389 | 2 | 74.9 | 21 |
| 2015 | Will Tye, NYG | Stony Brook | 42 | 464 | 3 | 106.4 | 25 |
| 2005 | Adam Bergen, Ari. | Lehigh | 28 | 270 | 1 | 61.0 | 28 |
| 2013 | Joseph Fauria, Det. | UCLA | 18 | 207 | 7 | 82.7 | 32 |
Some rookie players, of course, will continue to work on their games, getting bigger, faster and more knowledgeable, ascending to relevance in later years. But it’s a tough road to travel.
In the 32-team era, 11 tight ends have gone from undrafted to putting up top-20 numbers at some point in their careers. Antonio Gates is the all-time poster child, making the transition from college basketball power forward to probably Hall of Famer. But only 10 other free agents in the last 20 years have had a top-20 season at some point in their career.
In the chart below, I’m listing each player only once, by his best statistical season (otherwise, Gates would have the first 10 seasons on the list). The Saints have had two of these players (Taysom Hill isn’t really a tight end, but he was listed as a tight end in 2022 – his stats include 575 rushing yards and 7 TD runs.)
To clarify, the chart below includes only players entering the league after 2001. Five other players who entered the league earlier and were still around also had a top-20 season (including another Saint – Boo Williams).
| FREE AGENT TIGHT ENDS WITH TOP-20 SEASONS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Yr | Rec | Yds | TD | PPR | Rk |
| 2005 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 3 | 89 | 1101 | 10 | 259.1 | 1 |
| 2020 | Robert Tonyan, G.B. | 4 | 52 | 586 | 11 | 176.6 | 5 |
| 2017 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 5 | 80 | 690 | 4 | 173.0 | 6 |
| 2016 | Cameron Brate, T.B. | 3 | 57 | 660 | 8 | 171.0 | 7 |
| 2014 | Larry Donnell, NYG | 4 | 63 | 623 | 6 | 161.3 | 12 |
| 2018 | Trey Burton, Chi. | 5 | 54 | 569 | 6 | 149.1 | 8 |
| 2022 | • Taysom Hill, N.O. | 6 | 9 | 498 | 9 | 148.2 | 7 |
| 2013 | Tim Wright, T.B. | 1 | 54 | 571 | 5 | 141.3 | 13 |
| 2022 | • Juwan Johnson, N.O. | 3 | 42 | 508 | 7 | 134.8 | 15 |
| 2011 | Jake Ballard, NYG | 2 | 38 | 604 | 4 | 122.4 | 20 |
| 2019 | Darren Fells, Hou. | 6 | 34 | 341 | 7 | 110.1 | 17 |
—Ian Allan