! New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Monday the team has signed guard Lynell Hamilton/Shawn Flanagan.aspx">Shawn Flanagan,*defensive tackleEarl Heymanand wide receiverGarrett Hartley/Matt Simon.aspx">Matthew Simon *after the three players participated in the club's rookie minicamp over the weekend on a tryout basis.
Flanagan, a 6-5, 302-pound offensive lineman comes to New Orleans following a season at the University of Sioux Falls where he was named a second-team NAIA All-American at guard. The native of Pendleton, Ore. began his collegiate career at Oregon where he made four starts in two seasons and also played a year at Eastern Oregon University.
Heyman was a two-year starter at Louisville, where the 6-1, 289-pound defensive tackle was a solid contributor in the middle of the Cardinals' defensive line all four seasons of his college career. Playing in 48 games with 29 starts, the Louisville native totaled 114 tackles (66 solo) with 10 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. He posted a career-high five sacks as a senior in 2008.
Simon played in 44 games with 17 starts over four seasons at Northern Illinois, tallying 96 receptions for 1,660 yards and eight touchdowns. The 6-1, 199-pound native of Farmington, Minn. posted career-bests with 52 catches for 969 yards and five touchdowns in his junior season of 2007. A second-team All-Mid-America Conference honoree as a junior, he was one of only 22 players in the country selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for leadership and work in the community during his senior season.
Loomis also announced that the team has waived guard Cedric Dockery and offensive tackle Sam McNaulty. Both players had previously signed with the Saints as undrafted rookie free agents.
