New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Monday that the team has signed reserve/future contracts with offensive lineman Mark Evans II, defensive tackle Jack Heflin, defensive back Faion Hicks, tight ends Tommy Hudson and Michael Jacobson, guard Tommy Kraemer, defensive end Niko Lalos, running back Jordan Mims, linebacker Anfernee Orji, defensive tackle John Penisini, and running back James Robinson.
Mark Evans II, offensive lineman at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-2, 295): Originally signed by New Orleans as a free agent following the NFL Draft, he was a four-year letterman and three-time all-SWAC left tackle at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In 2022, the Houston, Texas native was named All-Conference for the third year in a row. Following his preseason with the Saints, he spent the final three and a half months of the season on their practice squad.
Jack Heflin, Iowa’s defensive tackle (6-3, 304): Heflin was signed as a free agent by the Green Bay Packers after the 2021 NFL Draft from Iowa, and he has appeared in six games for the Packers (2021), New York Giants (2022), and Saints (2023), recording two assisted tackles. In the spring of 2023, the Prophetstown, Illinois native was an All-XFL selection with the Houston Roughnecks, recording 25 tackles, three stops for loss, and one sack before signing with the Saints. In New Orleans, he spent the season on the practice squad, making one assisted tackle in his only action against Carolina on December 10.Heflin completed his graduation season at Iowa in 2020, when he started all eight games and earned 21 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss, and one sack. He began his college career at Northern Illinois (2017-19), where he started all 11 games in 2019 and was named first-team All-Mid American Conference (Pro Football Focus) and second-team All-MAC by league coaches, posting 31 tackles (14 solo), leading the team with a career-high 8.5 stops for loss and three sacks, and ranking second in the conference with three forced fumbles.
Faion Hicks – defensive back, Wisconsin (5-10, 192): The Denver Broncos originally chose him in the seventh round (232nd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft from Wisconsin. In 2022, the Pembroke Pines, Fla. native made two special teams appearances. In 2023, he spent the preseason with Denver and the final 17 weeks of the season on the Saints’ practice squad. During his college career, he started 39 of 44 games for the Badgers, totaling 108 tackles (85 solo), one interception, and 18 passes defensed. In 2021, he started all 11 games and was awarded consensus All-Big Ten honorable mention for the second straight year after making 28 tackles (21 solo) and defending ten passes.
Tommy Hudson – tight end, Arizona State (6-5, 255): The Tennessee Titans signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State in 2020, and in five games with Tennessee in 2021 after spending his rookie season on the practice squad, he caught three passes for 31 yards. In 2022, the product of San Jose, California, spent three weeks on the Titans’ active roster. Hudson spent the 2023 preseason with the Denver Broncos before spending the entire season on the Saints practice squad. Hudson was a four-year letterman at Arizona State who excelled in both the passing game and pass-and-run blocking. He made 25 career receptions for 205 yards in 40 games, including 26 starts.In 2019, he started 11 of 13 games and had a career-high 112 yards on ten receptions (11.2 average). During his junior season, he had a career-high 13 receptions for 66 yards.
Michael Jacobson, Iowa State’s tight end (6-7, 244): The Seattle Seahawks signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2021, following a college basketball career at Nebraska (2015-17) and Iowa State (2018-20) and playing for the Ukrainian Basketball League’s Kyiv-Basket team. Jacobson joined the Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts practice squads in 2021, and he attended training camp with the Colts in 2022 and 2023. He subsequently spent the final 17 weeks of the 2023 season with the Saints’ practice squad.
Tommy Kraemer, guard, Notre Dame (6-6, 316): The Detroit Lions originally signed him as a free agent after the 2021 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He joined New Orleans early in training camp and has spent the bulk of the season on the practice squad, playing in three games. In 2021, the Cincinnati native appeared in nine games with the Lions, starting three (two at right guard and one at left). Kraemer spent four seasons with the Fighting Irish (2017-2020), starting 39 of 43 games (27 at right guard and 12 at right tackle) and helping the team reach the College Football Playoff semifinals twice. In 2020, he was named first-team ACC and third-team AP All-America. He was also a member of the 2017 Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line, which helped the Irish finish ninth in the FBS with an average of 269.3 running yards per game.
Niko Lalos, defensive end, Dartmouth (6-5, 270): Lalos made a mark in the preseason, with four sacks leading the NFC and tied for the NFL lead, earning him a berth on the practice squad for the whole season. Lalos’ preseason performance came after he recorded 35 tackles, seven stops for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL in the spring. The Akron, Ohio native spent the second part of the 2022 season on the Saints’ practice squad.Lalos, who was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent out of Dartmouth in 2020, appeared in six games as a rookie and recorded five tackles (two solo), one interception, one fumble recovery, and one aided special teams stop. He appeared in 24 games at Dartmouth over three seasons, totaling 59 tackles (32 solo), including 17.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, nine passes defensed, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
Jordan Mims, running back, Fresno State (6-0, 205): The Buffalo Bills acquired Mims as an undrafted free agent from Fresno State this spring, and he rushed 11 times for 47 yards and one touchdown in the preseason, while also catching four catches for 45 yards. He joined the Saints practice squad at the end of the preseason and made one special teams tackle in two games on the active roster. Mims played five seasons at Fresno State, when he was teammates with Saints quarterback Jake Haener. In 2022, he ran 261 times for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns, earning first-team All-Mountain West. . In his final college game, the Palo Alto, Calif., native gained a career-high 209 yards on 18 attempts against Washington State in the Jimmy Kimmel Bowl.
Anfernee Orji, linebacker, Vanderbilt (6-1, 230): Orji is a native of Rockwall, Texas, and a four-year letterman at Vanderbilt, where he led the Commodores in tackles for three consecutive seasons. As a senior in 2022, he recorded 81 tackles and returned a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown, earning him second-team Phil Steele All-Southeastern Conference honors. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Saints in 2023, he participated in training camp and the preseason before spending the entire season on the practice squad.
Anfernee Orji, linebacker, Vanderbilt (6-1, 230): Orji is a native of Rockwall, Texas, and a four-year letterman at Vanderbilt, where he led the Commodores in tackles for three consecutive seasons. As a senior in 2022, he logged 81 tackles. John Penisini, nose tackle, Utah (6-2, 325): A third-year NFL veteran who was initially drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round (197th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft from Utah. with two seasons with Detroit from 2020 to 2021, he recorded 49 tackles, one sack, one pass defense, and one fumble recovery. In 2023, he spent part of the summer and training camp with the Carolina Panthers before spending the final five weeks on the Saints practice squad.
John Penisini, nose tackle for Utah (6-2, 325): A third-year NFL veteran who was initially drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round (197th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft from Utah. with two seasons with Detroit from 2020 to 2021, he recorded 49 tackles, one sack, one pass defense, and one fumble recovery. In 2023, he spent part of the summer and training camp with the Carolina Panthers before spending the final five weeks on the Saints practice squad. In college, the West Jordan, Utah native appeared in 40 games with 22 starts, recording 80 tackles, five sacks, one pass defense, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick.
James Robinson, running back, Illinois State (5-9, 219): The Jacksonville Jaguars originally signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State in 2020. Robinson has rushed 515 times for 2,264 yards (4.4 average.) and 18 touchdowns in 40 career games with 32 starts for the Jaguars (2020-22), New York Jets (2022), and Green Bay Packers (2023). He has also caught 92 passes for 615 yards (6.7 avg.) and four scores. In 2020, the Rockford, Ill. native was named a PFWA All-Rookie after starting all 14 games and rushing 240 times for 1,070 yards (4.5 average.) and seven touchdowns, as well as catching 49 catches for 344 yards and three scores.In 2021, he started 13 of 14 games and ran 164 times for 767 yards (4.7 average) with eight touchdowns, while also catching 31 passes for 222 yards. In 2022, Robinson ran 110 times for 425 yards and three touchdowns for the Jaguars and Jets, including a career-long 50-yard score, and caught 11 catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson attended 2023 training camp with the New York Giants before spending the remainder of the season on the Green Bay Packers practice squad, running once for two yards and caught a pass for -2 yards. He spent the last month on the Saints’ practice squad.
