Tag: Picks

Saints pick Colorado superstar Travis Hunter in way-too-soon 2025 mock draft

Way-too-early mock drafts work better as a college football watch list than real predictions for the 2025 NFL draft. But the Saints made hay in this projection:

Way-too-early mock drafts are more useful as a college football watch list than real predictions, and with the 2024 NFL draft behind us a lot of attention is already turning to the 2025 NFL draft — premature as that may seem.

So who is being linked to the New Orleans Saints? We don’t even know where they’ll be picking, but using the latest Super Bowl odds for draft order has them at No. 9 overall. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler shared his one-year-away forecast, which has the Saints picking Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter:

Cornerback or wide receiver? Hunter is at his most dangerous with the ball in his hands, so there is a good chance we see him drafted for offense. He routinely turns short catches into long gains.

Hunter is one of the standouts for Deion Sanders’ program along with his son Shedeur Sanders, the team’s starting quarterback (who Brugler has being picked later in the first round next year). There aren’t many players like him who can play both wideout and corner at such a high level. Last year, Sanders recorded 592 snaps on defense and intercepted 3 passes, breaking up 5 more. He also logged 452 snaps on offense and caught 57 passes for 721 yards, scoring 5 touchdowns.

He would be a good get for the Saints no matter where he ultimately lines up, but they do have a greater need at receiver after investing so many resources in the secondary. Hunter is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds which is comparable to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but his playmaking ability overrules any concerns about redundancy with comparable body types.

At the same time… if the Saints are picking high enough to get him next year, there’s a good chance it’s because Derek Carr wasn’t a good fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense, and the team’s season went in the tank because of it. Another talented receiver or corner would be great to have, but if the Saints are picking this high they should look to get a quarterback who can get them back to the playoffs.

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Mel Kiper gave the Saints’ 2024 draft class a passing grade

Mel Kiper gave the New Orleans Saints some credit for a stronger 2024 draft class than what he saw a year ago. Here’s why:

There aren’t many people covering the NFL draft who have been doing it as long as Mel Kiper Jr. ESPN’s keystone draft analyst gave the New Orleans Saints some credit for a stronger 2024 draft class than what he saw a year ago, having addressed their most important need with one of hte best players available in Round 1 (right tackle Taliese Fuaga) before making a small trade for a great value pick in Round 2 (cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry).

And he sees plenty to like in their late-round picks, too. Kiper says he just wishes the Saints hadn’t made so many trades in the past to hollow out their draft in the third and fourth rounds. But he still graded New Orleans with a B this year, which is very solid. Just nine teams were evaluated better with a B-plus or A-grade.

Here’s why Kiper’s higher on this Saints draft class than some that came before it:

The Saints entered this draft with problems at both tackle spots. Trevor Penning, a first-rounder in 2022, has struggled badly at left tackle, while veteran Ryan Ramczyk is dealing with a knee injury that has his NFL future in jeopardy. Their line as a whole ranked 28th in pass block win rate in 2023 (51.3%). I wanted to see them come away with a pro-ready lineman who could compete for one of those spots. That’s exactly what they got in Taliese Fuaga (14), a nasty blocker in the run game with great feet as a pass-protector. He was my top-ranked tackle on the board when New Orleans got on the clock.

Fuaga spent his college career at right tackle, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he got a chance on the left side to see if he could make the conversion. The fact is New Orleans got better on Day 1. On Day 2, it traded up a few spots to snag Kool-Aid McKinstry (41), a really talented cornerback who doesn’t have elite speed. He’s physical in press coverage. He’s going to be a good pro.

The Saints didn’t have third- or fourth-round selections, but their fifth-rounder was one of the most interesting picks on Day 3. There’s a scenario in which Spencer Rattler (150) is their starting quarterback in a few years. He has the arm talent and accuracy to develop behind Derek Carr. Fun fact, via ESPN Stats & Info: There were 137 picks made between quarterbacks being drafted (Bo Nix at No. 12 and Rattler at No. 150), the longest span between QBs being selected in the common draft era (since 1967). I listed Bub Means (170) as my favorite wide receiver before the draft; he was a Round 5 steal. I also like defensive tackle Khristian Boyd (199).

I gave New Orleans a low grade a year ago, but I don’t see much wrong with its haul this time. GM Mickey Loomis did a fine job this weekend.

That’s a fair evaluation. If Fuaga can earn a starting job right away while McKisntry finds ways to get on the field (and those late-round picks like Boyd, Ford, and Means contribute in some form or fashion) this has the makings of a great draft class. The Saints will certainly be leaning on these youngsters while quietly remodeling their roster. But potential is just one thing. Now it’s on them to fulfill it.

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Touchdown Wire grades the Saints’ rookie class best in the NFC South

Touchdown Wire graded the Saints’ rookie class best in the NFC South. It’s been a minute since the Saints’ picks were this widely approved:

It’s been quite some time since thee New Orleans Saints had an NFL draft class as universally approved as their 2024 haul, but rave reviews keep pouring in.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar handed out draft grades for all 32 teams once the final pick came in on Saturday night. And it’s the New Orleans Saints sitting on top of the NFC South, with an A-minus. Here’s why Farrar is so high on their selections:

We always love drafts in which prospects go later than we think they should, and the Saints have three guys who fit that bill. Kool-Aid McKinstry gives Dennis Allen and his staff all kinds of options with Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo. And there is no way Spencer Rattler should have lasted until the fifth round. Ignoring the fact that Rattler was good behind the NCAA’s worst offensive line, and with one functional receiver in Xavier Legette, and overcooking Rattler’s maturity issues from half a decade ago, proves that sometimes, football guys don’t know football.

I also love the addition of Bub Means as a speed receiver. Each of those guys should have gone a round earlier than they did, and in Rattler’s case, you can double or triple that.

As to the first overall pick, Taliese Fuaga is an ideal ass-kicking tackle who will start right away. Ryan Ramczyk might miss the entire 2024 season due to injury, and Trevor Penning is… well, Trevor Penning.

We’re guessing the slight trade up to get McKinstry (swapping two late-round picks to move up four slots in Round 2) kept the Saints from getting a clean A or A-plus. But as for the rest of the division? Farrar graded the Carolina Panthers with a solid B for adequately surrounding Bryce Young with better weapons, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slightly behind with a B-minus after spending their top pick on a center.

And the Falcons, well. They were graded worst in the NFC South with a D after wasting their first pick on a backup quarterback and using their next selection to trade up for a project defensive tackle. Let’s just say former Saints executive and current Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot is doing a lot to help his old team.

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40 of the Saints’ 43 players on offense are under age 30

40 of the Saints’ 43 players on offense are under age 30. A youth movement is quietly spreading in New Orleans:

It’s no secret that younger athletes have an edge on older ones. Fresh legs and untapped potential have a lot to offer. And the New Orleans Saints have often been criticized for fielding a roster that skews closer to the older side in recent years, relying hard on so many veteran players on the wrong side of 30.

So it’s worth taking note when these trends reverse themselves. Right now, after drafting seven rookies and signing 15 more undrafted free agents, the Saints have 43 players on offense, 40 on defense, with a few specialists rounding out their roster to 87 (of the 90 offseason roster spots they’re allotted). And of those 43 players on offense, 40 are under the age of 30.

The only exceptions are quarterbacks Derek Carr (33) and Taysom Hill (33), as well as right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (30), who may not play this year while  dealing with a career-threatening knee injury. After three years of leaning hard on older players in playoffs-or-bust campaigns (which, you know, all busted) the Saints are finally getting younger.

It’s less notable defensively, but the trend continues there, too. Of the 40 defenders on the roster all but four are under 30: linebacker Demario Davis (35), defensive end Cameron Jordan (34), safety Tyrann Mathieu (31), and defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd (30). The problem is that those four players each led their position groups in snaps played last season, at least until Jordan’s ankle injury caused Carl Granderson to start playing ahead of  him late in December.

Getting young draft picks active and involved like cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, linebacker Jaylan Ford, and defensive tackle Khristian Boyd would do so much to change the complexion of this Saints defense. If spry free agent pickups like defensive end Chase Young (25) and linebacker Willie Gay (26) are playing heavy minutes, even better.

We’re seeing the Saints change shape right before our eyes. This isn’t a team going for broke to trade up at every opportunity in the draft while cooking the books to add big names in free agency. There’s a self-awareness in Mickey Loomis’ front office that we haven’t seen before.

Will that lead to better results? Maybe, maybe not. Dennis Allen is still the head coach and Carr is still the quarterback. We probably shouldn’t make too much of the roster’s youthfulness in April when many of these rookies will be let go during roster cuts in September, rebalancing the scales. But if the Saints are going to find success and sustain it, doing a better job of drafting and developing young talent is the best way to get there.

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2024 Draft Grades: Saints pick DT Khristian Boyd with No. 199 overall selection

2024 Draft Grades: Saints pick DT Khristian Boyd with No. 199 overall selection

The New Orleans Saints got one of ‘their guys’ from this draft process in Northern Iowa’s Khristian Boyd with the No. 199 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

Trevor Penning’s former teammate is known for his strength. Boyd put up an insane 38 reps of 225 on the bench. He uses that strength to his advantage as a run stuffer, but that’s really all he’ll be expected to do at the next level.

Much like Penning, he plays with a high motor and is very aggressive off of the snap. He should have a rotational role as a rookie, much like the Saints usually get out of their undrafted free agents. It’s clear that they liked him, though, and didn’t want to risk losing out on him.

Grade: B+

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Saints select a little-known offensive lineman with their final 2024 draft pick

The Saints spent their final pick in the 2024 draft on Eastern Kentucky OT Josiah Ezirim, who Jahri Evans coached at the East-West Shrine Bowl:

The New Orleans Saints spent their final pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Josiah Ezirim, an Eastern Kentucky offensive lineman, who they selected at No. 239 overall. That’s the pick they got back from the Denver Broncos in exchange for Wil Lutz last year. So what’s his story?

Ezirim turns 23 in May, and he played a lot of snaps at Eastern Kentucky over  the last two years while starting at right tackle. Pro Football Focus charting found that he allowed just two sacks during that time, and he was nearly perfect on a career-high 490 snaps in pass protection last season. The Colonels ran with zone-blocking schemes on 81.4% of their rushing attempts the last two years, so he has a good feel for what the Saints are looking to do offensively.

He also has a clear connection to the Saints. Ezirim was one of the players Jahri Evans coached at the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier this offseason, giving him a hands-on look at the future pro. And Ezirim hits many of the athletic thresholds the Saints value. He weighed in at 6-foot-5 and 328 pounds with 35-inch arms. His 8.50 Relative Athletic Score lines up well with the Saints’ preferences. We’ll see if he stays on the right side (the same side that first-round draft pick Taliese Fuaga will be playing) or if the Saints envision him at a different spot. But he checks all of their boxes. It makes sense to stack depth given Ryan Ramczyk’s health concerns.

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2024 NFL draft: Saints pick Northern Iowa DT Khristian Boyd

2024 NFL draft: New Orleans Saints pick Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd, Trevor Penning’s college teammate

This was a popular pick for the New Orleans Saints in a lot of mock drafts, and it ends up being the direction they went. The Saints selected Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd at No. 199 in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft, reuniting him with his former college teammate Trevor Penning.

Boyd wasn’t just popular among NFL fans. He had the second-most pre-draft meetings and visits of any prospect in this year’s class. Teams were highly intrigued by the run-stopping defensive tackle from a smaller school, and it’s easy to see why. He generated a ton of pressure on top of stonewalling opposing rushing attacks. Pro Football Focus awarded him the seventh-best grade among defensive tackles in 2023.

And he has a very clear path to getting on the field as a rookie. The Saints never signed anyone to replace the 20-ish snaps per game that Malcolm Roach averaged last season, so Boyd can step right into the rotation behind Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders. If he’s ready. He’ll have a great opportunity to lock that in at training camp this summer.

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Robert Griffin III says the Saints got the steal of the draft in Spencer Rattler

Robert Griffin III says the Saints got the steal of the draft at quarterback in fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler:

There weren’t many people expecting Spencer Rattler to make it to the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft, but the New Orleans Saints made sure he didn’t fall any further. And Robert Griffin III was ecstatic to see them to do it — he says the Saints got the steal of the draft at quarterback by picking Rattler at No. 150.

“Of all the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class Spencer Rattler probably had the worst offensive line,” Griffin began, highlighting a fourth-quarter play against Kentucky in which he keyed his running back into picking up the blitz. He continued, “No hate on them, because he never complained about it, but it shows up routinely on his tape.”

On that play Rattler stepped in the pocket and hit his receiver Xavier Legette for a go-ahead touchdown. But he was sacked 103 times in his five-year career, including 39 times last season at South Carolina. He could develop into something special if the Saints can do a better job protecting him.

But that’s far off in the distance. It’s important Rattler take this journey one step at a time, learn from his experience in practice, and work out the wrinkles. He has all the arm talent in the world and a great understanding of the game. Limiting his gambles and protecting the football will go a long way.

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The Athletic gives Saints’ draft class thus far a rare Grade A

The Athletic gives the New Orleans Saints’ 2024 draft class thus far a rare Grade A. Can they keep it up on Day 3?

The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman took on the tough task of grading every pick all 32 NFL teams made in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL draft, and their early reviews are very positive for the New Orleans Saints.

Which is very encouraging to hear, seeing as the Saints have only made two picks so far. They need to get the most out of first-round right tackle Taliese Fuaga and second-round cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, so this is at least a  good start. Here’s what Baumgardner wrote of Fuaga’s fit at No. 14:

The rush on quarterbacks really helped out a lot of teams in the back half of Round 1. It helped the Saints here, in a big way. Fuaga was a top-two tackle on some NFL boards, top-three on several more. And there wasn’t a team in the league more in need of tackle help than the Saints, who just landed a road grader.

Fuaga (6-5, 324) was dominant at times on the Beavers’ right side last season, as arguably the best run blocker in the country. This is a culture pick as much as anything else, too — Fuaga will help improve the team’s overall toughness up front. Great value for the Saints in the middle of the first round.

Grade: A

Here’s why Dochterman says the Saints earned such a high grade after trading up for McKinstry in Round 2:

New Orleans picked up a first-round talent, at its biggest position of need, in the second round. A fluid, versatile defensive back, McKinstry started 33 games at Alabama over three seasons. He intercepted just two career passes but defended 25 others and netted five tackles for loss. McKinstry (5-11, 199) ran a 4.47 40 at his pro day, and his 10-yard split of 1.44 seconds is considered elite.

Grade: A

For context on how rare this is, just two teams received an A-grade in each of the first two rounds: the Saints, Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Chargers. While the Saints and Lions didn’t have a third-round pick, the Steelers, Chargers, and Giants did, and they each continued to receive an A. The Eagles came up just short with a B-plus for picking Houston Christian’s Jalyx Hunt late in Round 3.

So out of 32 teams only six earned A’s in the first two rounds. Of those six, three kept it going into the third round. That’s some tough grading but the Saints are on the right side of it. Let’s see if they can sustain it with more smart pickups on the third and final day of the 2024 draft.

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Draft Grades: Bucs select DE Chris Braswell at No. 57 overall

2024 NFL Draft Grades: Bucs select Alabama outside linebacker Chris Braswell at No. 57 overall

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went defense in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft as they select defensive end Chris Braswell at No. 57 overall.

Braswell has a chance to contribute immediately in the pass rush. He was hidden behind a lot of talent at Alabama for the past few years, but finally started opposite Dallas Turner in 2023. He had eight sacks and 10.5 total tackles for a loss last season with the Crimson Tide.

It fills a need as they lost Shaq Barrett to free agency and it was a solid value. He isn’t the flashiest player but gets the job done. Tampa Bay has now addressed both sides of the trenches early in the draft.

Grade: B+

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