A two-time FCS national champion cornerback out of South Dakota State now competing in New Orleans' secondary.
Dalys Beanum is a cornerback for the New Orleans Saints who built one of the most decorated resumes in South Dakota State history, helping the Jackrabbits to back-to-back FCS national titles. Originally a wide receiver in high school, Beanum developed into a ball-hawking corner and signed with New Orleans as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
Path to the league
A Millard West High School product from Omaha, Nebraska, Beanum played wide receiver in high school before switching to cornerback at South Dakota State, where he was a four-year contributor and two-year starter from 2020-2024. He went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft and signed with the Saints as a rookie free agent.
Career highlights
Beanum finished his South Dakota State career with 134 tackles, 12 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns, and 34 passes defensed across 67 games. He won back-to-back FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023 and earned first-team All-American and first-team All-MVFC honors as a senior in 2024.
2025 season recap
Beanum competed through Saints training camp and the preseason before spending his entire rookie season on the practice squad. New Orleans signed him to a reserve/futures contract on January 5, 2026, keeping him in the mix for the cornerback room.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dalys Beanum
- ESPN: Dalys Beanum
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Cornerback
- Group
- defense
- College
- South Dakota State
- Hometown
- Omaha, NE, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
