
Is this another one who got away? The New Orleans Saints have a worrisome history of developing talented pros who shine their brightest after joining other teams, but that won’t stop many fans from cheering for Abram Smith. The former Baylor Bears linebacker-turned-running back won fans over by running hard in the 2022 preseason, but he couldn’t do enough to earn a spot on the opening-day roster.
Then he went to the XFL and led the startup spring league with 788 rushing yards in the regular season, keeping it going for the DC Defenders’ postseason run. By years’ end, he racked up 925 rushing yards and scored 10 touchdown runs while gaining 124 receiving yards, earning All-XFL recognition. Good for him.