After entering the NFL, Matthew Hayball joins the Saints
After a great senior season at Vanderbilt, Commodore punter Hayball signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the New Orleans Saints.
Undrafted athletes have the option to join with any team that extends a contract offer to them following the NFL draft. According to Tom Pelissero, former Vanderbilt punter Matthew Hayball chose to sign with the New Orleans Saints despite probably receiving a lot of interest from other teams in the NFL. Hayball is originally from Australia.
Hayball’s choice makes far too much logic. The previous season, the Saints had the lowest punting total due to their specialist, Lou Hedley, who was only able to average 43.0 yards per punt. With 32 teams in the NFL, Hedley is ranked 33rd out of 33 qualified punters according to this ranking.
Hayball began his playing career at FAU, where he redshirted one year before joining the Owls for three seasons as a punter. With two years left on his eligibility because of the COVID-19 NCAA exemption, he transferred to Vanderbilt. Hayball averaged 47.6 yards per punt in his final season and was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, which is presented to the top punter in college football each year.
Hayball, a strong prospect for a seat on the NFL team, announced his candidacy for the draft after six years of education. Despite not being selected in the draft, the left-hander has a strong chance of making the Saints’ 53-man roster in August.
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