There are 60 days left until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 season, which makes the current owner of the No. 60 jersey our Saints Player of the Day. But what must Kyle Hergel do to make the team in 2024? The undrafted rookie has some experience in similar systems that could help him out when the Saints regroup for training camp in a few weeks. Let’s get to know him better:
- Name (Age): Kyle Hergel (24)
- Position: Offensive guard
- Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 315 pounds
- Relative Athletic Score: 7.83
- 2024 salary cap hit: $798,333
- College: Boston College
- Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
- NFL experience: Rookie
Hergel played a ton of snaps as a starter at right guard through his first four years in college (two at North Dakota, two at Texas State) before transferring to Boston College in 2023, where he started at left guard. What’s interesting is that he worked with offensive line coach Matt Applebaum last season, who spent the 2022 staff on Mike McDaniel’s Miami Dolphins staff. There’s a lot of overlap between the offense McDaniel runs and what Klint Kubiak is installing with the Saints, both of them being former Kyle Shanahan assistants.
That experience with Applebaum may have given Hergel a slight edge over his competition. He’s fighting for a roster spot with other undrafted rookies like Nouri Nouili and Sincere Haynesworth, as well as seventh-round draft pick Josiah Ezirim and last year’s undrafted free agent Mark Evans II. While only one or two of those players might make the 53-man roster, it’s likely several of them could return to the practice squad. But the Saints can’t keep everyone. Hergel must set himself apart during training camp and show he has the skills to thrive in Kubiak’s offense.
