Water Polo

New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL draft picks: Kool-Aid McKinstry picked at No. 41

ESPN will provide pick-by-pick analysis of each of the Saints' selections as they are made.

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NEW ORLEANS -- The 2024 NFL draft began Thursday night in Detroit, and the New Orleans Saints made seven picks over the three-day event.

Here's a look at each of New Orleans' scheduled selections:

Analysis of every pick | Updated depth chart

Round 1, No. 14: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State

My take: The Saints picked a position that has been on their radar since the end of the 2023 season, and it checks a lot of boxes for a New Orleans first-round selection. Fuaga was a team captain and two-year starter for Oregon State and played in the Senior Bowl, a game that has produced a lot of Saints players. The question is how fast can he start and where on the line he fits best. Fuaga said he's open to playing on the left side and has been training for that, even though he played right tackle in college. If the Saints move him to the left side, he'll compete with 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning. If they keep him on the right side, it could signal that the concerns about Ryan Ramczyk's knees are worse than they thought earlier in the offseason.

Key Stat: The Saints' offensive line ranked 28th in pass block win rate in 2023, according to ESPN Stats & Information, while their rushers averaged only 2.1 yards before contact (29th in the NFL). That stat highlights some of the issues the unit faced last year. New Orleans managed to settle some of its problems by removing Penning from the lineup after Derek Carr was sacked 17 times in the first six games, but between the questions about Penning and Ramczyk's health, the team needed a long-term solution at tackle.

What we're hearing about Fuaga:  Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl, said: "He's a really nimble, big human, and he's a bully. He just gets after people ... stays after people and plays to the whistle. ... He's played on the right side, I think he can play on the left side. He can play tackle, guard, he's versatile. ... Really good athlete, and he gets it done in both phases. ... I think he's going to be a day one starter."

What's next: The Saints have a gap between the second and fifth round, so it could be quiet Day 2. They might consider adding another wideout to pair with Chris Olave, and it would make sense to keep looking at offensive line options. They also might look at cornerbacks if they try to trade Marshon Lattimore over the summer. The long-term outlook at pass-rusher could also be something to address with Cameron Jordan turning 35 and new addition Chase Young on a one-year deal.

Round 2, No. 41 (from New York Giants through Green Bay Packers): Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

My take: The Saints liked McKinstry enough to trade a fifth and sixth-round pick to move up four spots from No. 45 to No. 41. The team nabbed him in the middle of an early Day 2 run on cornerbacks. The addition of McKinstry doesn't mean it's a sure thing that the Saints deal 2017 first-round cornerback Marshon Lattimore, but it does mean that will be a potential move to watch this summer. McKinstry would join Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor and potentially Lattimore in the cornerback room, and he said he'd also like to contribute on special teams as a kick returner.

Will he be expected to get regular playing time? The playing time largely depends on Lattimore's status, but the Saints needed all hands on deck in the DB room last year due to injuries. Adebo and Taylor took most of the snaps, but the now-departed Isaac Yiadom and Lonnie Johnson Jr. also filled in. Saints coach Dennis Allen said the team can never have enough good cornerbacks, and it's likely they would find a role for McKinstry in some capacity right away.

What's next: The Saints have five picks left on Day 3 (three fifth-round picks, one sixth-round pick and one seventh-round pick). Wide receiver still remains a top need, and the Saints will likely look into adding more depth on the offensive and defensive lines, particularly at pass-rusher, where the long-term outlook is in question. The Saints also need late-round safety depth with former starter Marcus Maye now gone.

Round 5: No. 150: Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina

My take: The Saints added another quarterback just one year after signing Derek Carr and selecting Jake Haener in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. The Saints usually operate in "win now" mode with how they manage the salary cap, but the selection of Rattler indicates the Saints could be looking toward the future at that position. Rattler will compete with Haener for the backup spot behind Carr after the departure of Jameis Winston. Winston came in for Carr several times last season after Carr left three games with injuries.

Round 5: No. 170: Bub Means, WR, Pittsburgh

My take: The Saints fill another need, adding a wide receiver to account for the departure of Michael Thomas. Means ran a 4.43 second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine this year to go along with 721 yards and six touchdowns at Pitt. Means will join No.1 wideout Chris Olave, speedy Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry and veteran Cedrick Wilson. Dennis Allen said earlier in the offseason that they were looking for another pass catcher, and Means will join a new Saints coaching staff with a potentially revamped offense.

Round 5, No. 175 overall: Jaylan Ford, LB, Texas

My take: Ford will add linebacker depth and versatility, as he played both inside linebacker and outside linebacker at Texas. 35-year-old Demario Davis and Pete Werner will take the majority of the snaps, with new signee Willie Gay rotating in if the Saints are playing base defense. That means that Ford will likely be a depth piece and a special-teams player to begin his career.

Round 6, No. 199 (from Philadelphia Eagles) Khristian Boyd, DT, Northern Iowa

My take: The 24-year-old comes in with a lot of college experience, having started his career in 2018. The Saints like to rotate their defensive linemen, so he'll join a rotation that includes Bryan Bresee, Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. He said he prides himself on stopping the run, but also had 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks at Northern Iowa in 2023.

Round 7, No. 239 (from Los Angeles Rams through Denver): Josiah Ezirim, OT, Eastern Kentucky

My take: It wasn't a surprise that the Saints continued to look for offensive line depth after using a first-round pick on an offensive tackle. Ezirim was a former nose tackle who moved to the offensive line during the 2021 season and became a permanent starter at RT for the last two seasons. At 6-5 and 329 pounds, he'll be the heaviest player on the team next to new OL Oli Udoh. He'll start out as a depth player.