#ProTops: Yelder The Next Great Saints Tight End?
One of the best parts about watching WKU as closely as we do is, when someone gets a shot at the next level and the media starts to go…
One of the best parts about watching WKU as closely as we do is, when someone gets a shot at the next level and the media starts to go “holy cow this guy can play” we all can say “uhhh yeah, we knew that.”
Such is the case with Deon Yelder who, if he had played at the lowest P5 program, would have been drafted, but since he’s a Hilltopper, had to find a landing spot as an undrafted free agent.
Now, in camp with the New Orleans Saints (a Top 5 least favorite team for me in professional sports), he’s beginning to turn some heads and, at least according to this NOLA.com article, might just be someone the Saints consider to be the tight end of the future.
As Josh Katzenstein points out, the three NO tight ends under contract for 2018 — Benjamin Watson, Michael Hoomanawanui and Josh Hill — aren’t under contract for beyond 2018, so if Yelder impresses (either in a practice capacity or in what I’m going to assume will be limited time on the field) he could set himself up nicely for 2019 and beyond.
Yelder also likes being in New Orleans to learn under Dan Campbell, saying in the article that he reached out to Ryan Mahaffey after the Saints had expressed interest in him and decided Campbell was a good fit to help him expand his game.
“I decided to come to the Saints because I like Coach Campbell, and I feel like he can help me get to the next level where I want to be, which is to become a true tight end,” Yelder said.
Katzenstein also points out that while Yelder has all the potential in the world to one day be the Saints next tight end in line, he might be able to make a more immediate impact on special teams.