My Grades of the New Orleans Saints Draft Picks
The NFL Draft has come and gone. I believe as a diehard Saints fan, I have the responsibility to let the masses know my opinion of each draft pick as well as my grade. I will be grading these draft picks strictly on the criteria of my choosing. If you do not agree with my grading and my opinion then go fuck yourself.
Round 1:
Taliese Fuaga OT (Oregon State): A-
At first I was upset at this pick because the Saints almost had a generational talent at tight end fall to them, Brock Bowers, but after watching the film and truly understanding what we got I can confidently say that I love this pick. This kid is an absolute stud and is ready to start day one which the Saints desperately need. The Saints need starters on that Oline and Fuaga is just that. He was great in college, not letting up a single sack last year. The Saints grabbed a great starter for that horrid offensive line which will protect our aging QB. Cannot really complain about that.
Round 2:
Kool-Aid McKinstry DB (Alabama): A+
This pick absolutely rocked. The Saints traded up from the 45th pick to the 41st to grab Kool-Aid. First off, the name is amazing. Secondly, Kool-Aid was a fantastic player at Alabama. Thirdly, the Saints got him at fantastic value in the second round when most people had him as a first rounder. Finally, he is big, strong and physical and will be an instant starter which once again the Saints need more of. Overall fantastic pick.
Round 5:
Spencer Rattler QB (South Carolina): B
This one might come to a surprise as most of Saints faithful are obsessed with this pick and believe him to be the next great Saints QB but I do not see him that way. I need to see more. There were games in college where he looked like a top ten overall pick and other times where he looked like his career was over after college. I am not taking into account his little reality show in high school. I understand that is a long time ago and I believe he has matured and that is not an issue. I am coming from what I have seen in college and I saw the entire population of Oklahoma turn against him which has concern for me when things get rough. Regardless, the reason why this pick is “B” is because the Saints got him for tons of value in the 5th round. He will need to prove himself as we have a loaded QB room. The ceiling is high but I need to see it to believe it.
Bub Means WR (Pittsburgh): B-
This pick screams Klint Kubiak. Bub Means is a very raw wide receiver. Meaning he has a lot to develop in route running and fundamentals but has all the athletic ability in the world. He is a guy who could be like another Deebo Samuel. I believe the Saints should have used more of their compensatory picks to trade up and take another wideout in an earlier round but time will tell on this one.
Jaylan Ford LB (Texas): C-
I do not like this pick plain and simple. Ford is very inconsistent and got horrible grades by most NFL analysts. I believe Ford would have been a 7th rounder or even undrafted but the Saints grabbed him here in round 5. This was a total reach and I do not agree with our front office. They seem ecstatic about this pick and lets hope they know what they are doing.
Round 6:
Khristian Boyd DT (Northern Iowa): C
I did not know much about this kid from Northern Iowa but he has potential to be a good player on this team. I always worry about drafting people from these bum ass conferences as the strength of opponents can be inflating the success on the field. I hope that is not the case with him and he adapts well on the Saints.
Round 7:
Josiah Ezirim OT (Eastern Kentucky) C+
Same kinda deal with Boyd before when the conference of play and strength of opponents is a concern but I understand why the Saints took this guy. He is healthy and stays healthy. That is what the Saints truly need on the offensive line and if this guy is decent but healthy, that's a win. He is also a project as he has a lot to develop but overall an alright pick.
Overall grade: B
The Saints started off this draft red hot and had the potential to be one of their best draft classes but in the later rounds they do what they do and they try to find diamonds in the rough which can be great if you find one but the Saints are yet to do that. I cannot give this draft any higher than a “B”. Hopefully you enjoyed my in depth breakdown:)
