The New Orleans Saints have brought in former Stanford outside linebacker Chase Thomas as an undrafted free agent, the player indicated on his Twitter account Saturday. Thomas said "everything happens for a reason," before putting up a Saints hashtag.

That's about as much confirmation that's needed when it comes to undrafted free agents these days. Thomas, who had 71 tackles, 14.5 for loss, and 7.5 sacks last season with the Cardinal, was likely surprised to find himself undrafted.

It was a strange draft though, and Thomas entered the undrafted pool as one of the top names. Dan Kadar's list of best available players after the draft concluded had Thomas as the No. 2 guy available, ahead of guys like Tyler Bray and Kwame Geathers, and behind only Tennessee Tech wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers.

Thomas should have plenty of opportunity to compete for a roster spot with the Saints, who will likely use him as a special teams player initially. Many are of the opinion that Thomas possesses the skillset to be an actual contributor on defense, and potentially a starter down the line if he properly develops.

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