Saints Announce Rookie Free Agent Class

[rajncajn]

http://www.neworleanssaints.com/newsroomar...?articleid=3438

K Brett Bergstrom - Eastern Washington: Bergstrom, 6-2, 220 pounds, was a two-year letterman for EWU and took over the kicking duties in 2006 after having previously seen time as a receiver and at safety.

Bergstrom played his first two seasons at Shasta Community College in California, kicking and playing both offense and defense for the notable junior college. In 2006, Bergstrom converted 15 of 18 field goals (83.3%) and recorded 23 touchbacks on kickoffs. Three of Bergstrom's field goals were from beyond 50 yards, including a 56-yarder, and also he converted 21 of 22 extra points.

 

T Peter Dyakowski - Louisiana State University: Dyakowski was LSU's starting right tackle as a senior after being a top reserve for much of his first three seasons on the Tigers' nationally ranked squad. The 6-5, 310-pound Dyakowski, who hails from Vancouver College High School, was selected last year with the 11th pick overall in the CFL Draft by the Hamilton Tigercats, but elected to return to school for his senior season. An excellent student, Dyakowski was a mainstay on the SEC's All-Academic teams throughout his college career. Dyakowski earned the distinction of becoming the first-ever Canadian born player to play for the Tigers.

 

FB Keith Greer - University of Idaho: Greer primarily played the tight end position during his collegiate career with the Vandals. In 38 career games, the 6-1, 248-pound native of Santa Ana, Calif. was used predominantly as a blocker and caught 13 passes for 107 yards. Greer recovered from a career-threatening leg injury suffered in the first game of his sophomore season (2003) to play in all 23 of the Vandals' games over the past two seasons.

 

DE Jonathan Hamm - Clark Atlanta University: Hamm is a 6-foot-7, 272-pound defensive end who earned first team all-conference honors for the Division II Clark Atlanta Panthers in 2006 after collecting 36 tackles, three sacks and blocking two kicks. He becomes the second player from Clark Atlanta to wear the Black and Gold, joining cornerback Elijah Nevett who played for the Saints from 1967-70.

 

LB Wade Koehl - University of Houston: A 2006 All-Conference first teamer for the Cougars, Koehl (6-2, 230 pounds) was a four-year starter who amassed 331 career tackles, 34 tackles for losses and eight sacks. As a senior, Koehl was a Wuerffel Trophy finalist, and was a semifinalist for the Draddy Award. The native of Midland, Texas was an All-Conference Academic first-teamer after earning a 3.52 grade point average as an accounting major.

 

G Jake Kuresa - Brigham Young University: Kuresa, 6-4, 330, was a mainstay for the Cougars during his four seasons in Provo, starting 47 of 48 games. He played every offensive line position in his senior year. The former defensive lineman was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference performer and was a SI.com All-America honorable mention. Kuresa, a team captain as a senior, was credited with 96 knockdown blocks and allowed just one-and-a-half sacks as a senior for a team that averaged 465.5 yards per game on offense.

 

LS Pat MacDonald - University of Alberta: A 6-3, 247-pound former defensive lineman from Canada's University of Alberta, the Toronto native became just the second player in school history to sign with an NFL team, and the first one in 31 years. The only previous player from the University of Alberta was former Washington Redskin Brian Fryar. MacDonald transferred to Alberta from the University of Calgary. While at Alberta he was also a member of the school's downhill ski racing team.

 

WR Rhema McKnight - University of Notre Dame: The 6-2, 211-pound Golden Domer ranks second in Notre Dame annals with 170 receptions, topped only by teammate Jeff Samardzija's 179 catches. McKnight is the seventh player in school history to eclipse to the 2,000 yard receiving mark with 2,277 yards, joining such notable players as Samardzija (2,593), Derrick Mayes (2,512, 1992-95), Tim Brown (2,493, 1984-87), Tom Gatewood (2,283), Maurice Stovall (2,195, 2002-05) and Jim Seymour (2,113, 1966-68), finishing fifth on the school's all-time record list. McKnight's 22 TD receptions tied Mayes for second all-time in Irish history behind Samardzija (27). In 2006 McKnight's 67 receptions in 2006 were the fifth-most in a season by a Notre Dame player and his 15 TD receptions in 2006 tied a school record.

 

QB Tyler Palko - University of Pittsburgh: The gritty left-handed signal-caller was a three-year starter for the Panthers who threw for 8,343 yards and completed 60% of his passes along with 66 TD to only 25 interceptions. Palko led the Panthers to a BCS game as a sophomore in 2004 when Pitt won the Big East title and earned a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. He is the son of a well-known Western Pennsylvania high school football coach, Bob Palko, and was one of Pitt's most notable recruits over the course of the past two decades.

 

CB Joe Porter - Rutgers University: Porter, who holds the 200-meter Indoor school record and became the 2005 Big East Outdoor Track Champion, played in 43 career games for the Scarlet Knights and recorded 93 tackles, 11 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles, five interceptions and four-and-a-half tackles for losses during his four career. Porter was part of a contingent of players who helped the Rutgers program turn the fortunes of the Scarlet Knight around during his four seasons on the New Brunswick, N.J. campus.

RB Pierre Thomas - University of Illinois: Pierre ranks seventh on the Illini career rushing list with 2,392 yards and ranks third on the Illini career all-purpose yardage list with 4,099 yards. An accomplished kickoff returner, Thomas completed his undergraduate career with 1,328 yards, just 56 yards shy of the school record. Thomas, the Illini's MVP the past two seasons, posted eight career 100-yard games. Thomas is a native of Lynwood, Ill., where he was a top 100 national recruit as a senior by the Chicago Sun-Times.

 

DT Walter Thomas - Northwest Mississippi Community College: Thomas, 6-4, 374 pounds, played in the Texas vs. the National All-Star game in 2007. A heavily recruited player as a high schooler, Thomas played briefly at Oklahoma State before attending Northwest Mississippi CC. Thomas reportedly ran in the 4.8-4.9 range and can bench press 475 pounds and squat 800 pounds and is known for his flexibility and his ability to do back flips and cartwheels. The 21-year old Thomas, who wears size 16 shoes, declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season and attended the Pro Day at Mississippi State University.

[The Next Generation]

DT Walter Thomas - Northwest Mississippi Community College: Thomas, 6-4, 374 pounds, played in the Texas vs. the National All-Star game in 2007. A heavily recruited player as a high schooler, Thomas played briefly at Oklahoma State before attending Northwest Mississippi CC. Thomas reportedly ran in the 4.8-4.9 range and can bench press 475 pounds and squat 800 pounds and is known for his flexibility and his ability to do back flips and cartwheels. The 21-year old Thomas, who wears size 16 shoes, declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season and attended the Pro Day at Mississippi State University.

 

I was hoping the Eagles would take a chance on this guy. I like the Saints approach so far since the regime changed.

[rajncajn]

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=9428

CB Joe Porter - Rutgers University, ran a 4.28 40 in March. I believe that is fast.

[tbimm]

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=9428

CB Joe Porter - Rutgers University, ran a 4.28 40 in March. I believe that is fast.

 

rajn, after last years scoop on Colston could you please keep the sleeper type info on the down low until AFTER the rookie drafts and FA run

Possibly, just maybe we could find another way to share this type of info?

[broncosn05]

CARTWHEELS

[darin3]

Tyler Palko... could be a pretty solid add.

[Randall]

I've seen Meachem ranked #4 after Calvin, AP and Lynch.

[The Next Generation]

I've seen Meachem ranked #4 after Calvin, AP and Lynch.

 

 

Do you think that helps or hurts Colston's fantasy numbers? I think it was better for Colston's numbers to draft Meecham than Olson, since Colston does a lot of over the middle and seam stuff. Whadda ya think?

[rajncajn]

rajn, after last years scoop on Colston could you please keep the sleeper type info on the down low until AFTER the rookie drafts and FA run

Possibly, just maybe we could find another way to share this type of info?

 

Meh, he's a CB and a project. He'll be used as a gunner on ST & possibly a backup returner. I doubt he starts over the other guys right away. Plus I've never been a fan of CBs not named Barber. They're just not very consistent.

 

CARTWHEELS

 

 

FLIPS!

Tyler Palko... could be a pretty solid add.

 

They were talking him up on WWL last night. Said he had many of the same characteristics as Brees & that the fit for him in NO was really good with Payton tutoring him. Might be a sleeper in a couple of years, but if he doesn't show them something right away I think the Saints will draft a QB relatively high next year.

Do you think that helps or hurts Colston's fantasy numbers? I think it was better for Colston's numbers to draft Meecham than Olson, since Colston does a lot of over the middle and seam stuff. Whadda ya think?

 

I think it'll help to have a more consistent player opposite Colston. When Horn was in it helped keep defenses honest, I think Meecham can be just as valuable.

[myhousekey]

Things you read on this "Great Wall" Thomas kid are amazing....

 

“You absolutely cannot run at him,” said Les Miles, the Louisiana State University coach, who recruited Thomas to Oklahoma State. “You have to go in another direction.”

 

Heavy Odds

 

Gravity-defying defensive lineman Walter Thomas, who played two games in junior college, will get 'a look-see' from Coach Sean Payton and the Saints

 

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

By Jimmy Smith

Times-Picayune

 

What do you do if you come across a prospect who's 6 feet 5, 375 pounds, can run the 40-yard dash on a track in 4.9 seconds, wears a size XXXXXXL jersey, had 16 tackles in his last two games -- in junior college -- and was not picked in last weekend's NFL draft?

 

If you're the Saints, you sign him to a free-agent contract.

 

The specimen in question is Walter Thomas, described by his junior college coach in a recent New York Times profile as "a dadgum Russian gymnast" for his extraordinary body control and the ability to do front flips and, when excited, back flips.

 

"He's quite an athlete," Northwest Mississippi Community College Coach Randy Pippin said Tuesday. "There's no doubt about it."

 

And Thomas, who played two games on the defensive line last season for the community college in Senatobia, Miss., after being recruited to Oklahoma State by then-coach Les Miles, has traveled quite a bumpy road to reach the point where he currently finds himself: ready for an NFL audition when the Saints convene a rookie camp May 12-14 at their Airline Drive practice facility.

 

"It's a look-see," Saints Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday evening. "Normally, a player who's only played in two junior college football games would never come close to having an opportunity. To say he's got an uphill battle would be correct. Because of some of those characteristics, though, you take a look at him in a rookie camp and see where he's at."

 

Thomas' journey began at Ball High School in Galveston, Texas, where Miles signed him to a scholarship for the fall of 2004.

 

But Thomas failed to pass 24 hours in his first year at Oklahoma State, according to Pippin, and flunked out of school after getting scant playing time as a freshman.

 

"He's a big, strong, physical athlete," Miles said Tuesday, "and if he can keep his weight under control, he could really make a difference for the Saints or any team he plays for."

 

After Thomas sat out a year, Pippin recruited him to Northwest Mississippi for the 2006 season, where he played two games but then ran afoul of the law -- an arrest for conspiracy to commit robbery -- and he was dismissed from the team pending the outcome of the charges.

 

On Tuesday, the Tate County (Miss). Circuit Clerk's office said an indictment is on file, but no court date has been set.

 

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis, who like Payton has stressed that the Saints would not sign players with character issues, said the team thoroughly investigated the matter and is satisfied with the result.

 

"We're aware of the incident and talked to a lot of people about it," Loomis said. "What we understand is that it's going to get resolved. We're just going to give him a look and see for ourselves."

 

Pippin said Thomas hails from a family of basketball players and described him as a "freak of nature -- size, strength, quickness and agility-wise."

 

"Walter is a very family oriented person and is a very good person with a good heart," Pippin said. "Walter was unblockable when motivated."

 

Thomas' agent, Martin Magid of Conshohocken, Pa., whom Thomas hired when he did not return to the Northwest Mississippi team, has witnessed Thomas' gymnastic ability and speed since he declared for the draft, and attended the Mississippi State pro day where he received a great deal of attention.

 

"He's very athletic," Magid said. "For a guy his size to run a 5.0 40, come on, linebackers don't run that fast. I've seen him run a 4.9 on a clock. I don't know about a back flip. I've seen him do a front flip, and I've seen him walk on his hands more than 5 yards. He's an amazing kid. Agile. He's a big teddy bear. But when he puts on his helmet, he's a nasty man.

 

"He's big, athletic, and he's gotten his chance."

 

N.O. Saints land massive enigma Thomas

 

By David Brandt

Clarion Ledger

 

Mammoth bodies are commonplace in the NFL, but even so, the shadow defensive tackle Walter Thomas casts is sure to turn heads if he ever makes it to training camp in Jackson with the New Orleans Saints.

 

At 6-foot-4 and 374 pounds, he reportedly runs a 4.9-second 40-yard dash, bench presses 475 pounds and squats 800. When The New York Times showed up to interview him before the NFL Draft last week, he executed a perfect front flip.

 

Judging from those numbers, it's little wonder the Saints signed this football version of an urban legend to a free agent contract. He was one of 12 free agents added on Tuesday.

 

Originally from Texas, Thomas' college football odyssey took him to Senatobia for two games at Northwest Mississippi Community College this season. Before that, he played for a year at Oklahoma State and then sat out a season.

 

"The man's an absolute monster and an amazing athlete for someone that size," NWCC coach Randy Pippin said. "He's a good kid, too. He's just got some baggage that comes along with him."

 

And there's the dilemma. A 21-year-old with such breathtaking football skills doesn't go undrafted unless there's a good reason.

 

Thomas played just two games at Northwest before being arrested on a charge of conspiracy to commit robbery. The Tate County Circuit Clerk's office said the charge is still pending, but a court date hasn't been set. Pippin suspended Thomas for the rest of the season.

 

Considering the NFL recently doled out long suspensions to troublemakers like Tennessee Titans' Adam "Pacman" Jones and the Cincinnati Bengals' Chris Henry, young players with a questionable past are greeted with suspicion.

 

But still, it was awfully hard for teams to ignore Thomas' prodigious workout at Mississippi State's pro day. The way he dominated in a pre-draft game called Texas vs. The Nation just added to the buzz surrounding a guy who had played only two real football games in two seasons.

 

"Thomas just absolutely destroyed people," NFL scout Mike Detillier said after looking at the game tape. "It looked like he was going against the junior varsity. After that game, he was all anybody was talking about."

 

He was ranked 23rd at defensive tackle in Detillier's draft report and said Thomas' positives were numerous: terrific agility and speed for a man his size and also possesses great strength. But the weaknesses are also glaring. He's probably carrying too much weight and has very little game experience. Plus, his work ethic is questionable considering his spotty past.

 

"I'd say he'll have to lose at least 30 pounds to be an effective player in the league," Detillier said.

 

"Carrying 370 pounds in a season would cause too much wear and tear. This might be his last chance to play football, so it'll be interesting how he responds."

 

Copiah-Lincoln coach Glenn Davis was one of the two opposing coaches to see Thomas in action this year, saying "He's awfully hard to move. It seemed like he could fill up two holes out there."

 

And that's probably why the Saints were more than happy to take a chance on a little-known big man.

 

"It's one of those low risk, high reward opportunities," Detillier said.

 

"After the Saints' great season last year, if Thomas turns out to be a great player, maybe we can finally say that after all these years the football gods are actually smiling on New Orleans."

[rajncajn]

Walter Thomas cut 12 minutes into rookie training camp. He may be able to do flips at his size, but he certainly can't run 10 yards without needing oxygen.

Edited May 14, 2007 by rajncajn

[rajncajn]

Walter Thomas' Saints career ended almost as soon as it began.

 

Just 12 minutes into Thomas' first minicamp, Saints coaches sent the rookie free agent to the training room. Coach Sean Payton then decided that the 6-foot-5, 375-pound defensive linemen was unfit to participate in camp.

 

"It was a situation where, from a conditioning standpoint, he had a long way to go," Payton said. "He struggled."

[Doc Holliday]

That kicker you guys drafted got a chance to stick Rajn?

[rajncajn]

That kicker you guys drafted got a chance to stick Rajn?

 

Camp fodder most likely, I doubt he beats out Mare but anything is possible.

[myhousekey]

Not too thrilled to see Meachem starting camp out of shape and then tweak an ankle on Sunday.

Edited May 15, 2007 by myhousekey