STRATFORD, Wis. (WSAW) - In the wee hours of Saturday night, Stratford’s Easton Kilty learned about his new NFL home. Kilty confirmed with NewsChannel 7 of his signing with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent.
Kilty became one of 11 undrafted free agents signed by the Saints. The Kansas State product says he anticipated becoming an undrafted free agent or a seventh round draft pick. After fielding a wide variety of calls, he felt the bayou was the right place for him.
“Talking to o-line coaches around the league, trying to figure out where the best spot would be for me to go,” says Kilty. “And I figured New Orleans would be the perfect fit for me. So, they have a really good o-line coach (Brendan Nugent) and they don’t really have too many guys on the roster right now. So I have a really good chance to make the team. And it’s just a really good area and their new coaching staff looks really good and I thought it would be a perfect fit for me.”
Being able to represent his hometown and Central Wisconsin is one thing on the college level. But the opportunity of doing so on the NFL stage is something Kilty’s eager to do.
“I take it with the pride of Stratford. I’m happy to represent Stratford wherever I go,” says Kilty. “And I think I’ve been doing that for the last 4 or 5 years at North Dakota and K-State. I continue to plan on doing it for however long I’m in the NFL for.”
Kilty’s football journey will continue with the Saints, who kick off OTA’s on May 20. As he’ll fight for a roster spot in the coming months, he’ll carry strong influences from his high school coaches. That includes recently retired head coach Jason Tubbs.
‘I wouldn’t be here without any of them,’ says Kilty. “He (Tubbs) gave me an opportunity at Stratford. We made two state championships, and that’s not be coincidence. The opportunity to learn life lessons from them, learn how to be a great person. And just how to be, more importantly, a more coachable person on a team. And I think that’s just a big thing for me is being coachable, and they taught me that. All those guys on the staff like Marshall Lehman, Coach Tubbs, Kellen Kafka, Ryan Bloom. They all taught me how to be a professional and move onto the college level and now on the professional level.”
