Texas defensive lineman Malcolm Roach will be heading back to his home state after he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints.

After not being selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Roach was the first Longhorn to sign as an undrafted free agent.

In each of his 12 starts, Roach spent his senior season at Texas as the leader of the Longhorns’ young defense.  

Despite Texas’ defensive struggles, Roach came up big in 2019, boasting 40 total tackles and three sacks on the season. During an unexpected thriller against Kansas in October, Roach blocked a field goal and recorded four solo tackles. 

Earlier, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native bagged three tackles against his hometown team when the Longhorns played the then-No. 6 LSU Tigers in Austin last September. To end his Texas career, Roach snagged four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a quarterback hurry in the Longhorns’ 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl win over then-No.11 Utah. Having played in 43 games with 23 starts and staying the course during the Charlie Strong era, Roach leaves Texas as a consistent defensive piece. 

While Roach’s pass-rushing ability could improve, his athleticism should work to his benefit on an NFL roster; the lineman ran a 4.84 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Before Texas, the 2016 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honorable mention starred in high school as a four-time all-state selection in Louisiana.