A five-year Central Michigan Chippewa who broke out with 10.5 sacks in 2025, Michael Heldman signed with the Saints as one of their most-hyped undrafted free agents.
Michael Heldman spent his entire college career at Central Michigan, redshirting as a freshman before developing into one of the MAC's best pass rushers by his final season. The Romeo, Michigan native went undrafted in 2026 but drew attention as a potential sleeper pick for New Orleans.
Path to the league
Heldman redshirted his freshman season in 2021 and spent all five years of his college career at Central Michigan. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed with the Saints as one of their undrafted free agents, with analysts flagging him as a potential roster sleeper given his athletic testing and 2025 production.
Career highlights
Heldman measured 6-foot-4 and 268 pounds with prototypical size for an NFL edge rusher, and he posted a 9.88 Relative Athletic Score, ranking 26th out of more than 2,100 EDGE prospects tracked since 1987. His athletic profile combined with his senior-year production made him one of the more notable small-school prospects in the 2026 UDFA class.
2025 season recap
Heldman broke out in his final college season, leading Central Michigan with 10.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss and earning first-team All-MAC honors. That production, paired with his combine-caliber testing numbers, made him a priority undrafted signing for the Saints, who see him as a candidate for a rotational pass-rushing role.
Sources
- NOLA.com: Saints undrafted rookie Michael Heldman has lofty goals
- Yahoo Sports: Saints UDFA profile - Michael Heldman
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Central Michigan
- Hometown
- Romeo, MI, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
