Countdown to Kickoff: Dalys Beanum is the Saints Player of Day 37

There are 37 days left until the New Orleans Saints take on the Arizona Cardinals at home in their 2025 regular season opener. New head coach Kellen Moore will guide the Saints into their 59th NFL season hoping to improve on last year's disappointing 5-12 record. Wearing No. 37 for New Orleans in training camp is Dalys Beanum, a rookie defensive back. Beanum is our Saints Player of the Day, warranting a closer look at his background.

• Name (age): Dalys Beanum (22)
• Hometown: Omaha, Neb.
• Position: Cornerback
• Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
• College: South Dakota State Jackrabbits
• Relative Athletic Score: n/a
• Drafted: Undrafted in 2025 (Saints)
• NFL experience: Rookie
• 2025 salary cap hit: $845,000

An all-state selection out of Millard West High School in Nebraska, Beanum was surprisingly lightly recruited. He accepted an offer from South Dakota State, where he almost immediately became a fixture on defense. Beanum was a starter for his last two seasons but was a major contributor all four years with the Jackrabbits. South Dakota State won consecutive FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023, with Beanum being one of their defensive stars. Beanum finished his Jackrabbits career with 12 interceptions, third in school history, while returning three for touchdowns.

A teammate of current Saints linebacker Isaiah Stalbird at South Dakota State, Beanum hopes to duplicate Stalbird's path to the NFL. He'll have an opportunity at a New Orleans cornerback spot that will have a new look in 2025. The Saints lost corners Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Shemar Jean-Charles off last year's squad. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alontae Taylor, and rookie Quincy Riley are virtual locks for roster spots. Dalys Beanum has the size and certainly the ball skills to potentially snag one of the final roster spots at the position.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Dalys Beanum is the Saints Player of Day 37