The New Orleans Saints were right in the thick of things for the NFC South crown. Unfortunately, a late loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers derailed any hope for that. The Saints missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season after qualifying the previous four years. The good news for New Orleans, however, is that they were able to secure the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Saints were able to plug some holes during the draft, which constituted some of the best moves they made during the rookie selection.
Drafting Taliese Fuaga
There wasn't a more pressing need for the Saints to address during the offseason than their offensive line. They tried to plug holes up front during the 2022 draft by selecting Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning, but Penning has yet to pan out. He has been benched throughout his career and the Saints' left tackle spot has been a revolving door. That should change after selecting Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga 12th overall.
Fuaga was the fourth offensive tackle taken in this draft behind Joe Alt, JC Latham, and Olu Fashanu, but he has a case to be the best of that group. Not only did Fuaga not allow a single sack last season, he also gave up just 12 pressures out of 339 pass-blocking snaps. He is also a tremendous run blocker.
The Saints needed a player like Fuaga in the worst way. They ranked 28th in pass block win rate last season according to ESPN.com. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots fared worse in that regard than New Orleans. The Saints only got sacked 35 times though, which was the eighth-lowest number in the league. But, Derek Carr got hit a lot and had to leave multiple games due to a shoulder injury.
Fuaga will help limit those bumps and bruises on Carr. The Saints badly needed a left tackle for the future and were able to get one in Fuaga. It was a perfect selection for them.
Trading up to draft Kool-Aid McKinstry
What's a draft without the Saints moving up to get their guy. That's what they did in the second round to select Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. McKinstry was pegged by many to be a first-round pick. But, the run on quarterbacks and offensive players prompted many defensive players to slide farther down the draft board than anticipated. That led to some outstanding values, like McKinstry going 41st overall to New Orleans.
He should find playing time right away in New Orleans. The Saints' depth chart at cornerback isn't very robust after Marshon Lattimore, their perennial Pro Bowl candidate. Paulson Adebo has been a frequent target for opposing teams and Alontae Taylor plays primarily in the slot. If the Saints traded up for McKinstry, they likely have plans for him to play right away. He'll make good on those ambitions.
Drafting Spencer Rattler
The record for the longest gap in picks between quarterbacks selected was broken this year. A total of 138 players were selected between Bo Nix at 12th overall and Spencer Rattler with the 150th overall pick in the fifth round. The Saints ended Rattler's wait and gave him a nice landing spot.
It's unlikely that Rattler will ever be handed the keys to the Saints' starting quarterback job. Derek Carr still has two more years under contract before New Orleans can get out of his contract. But his play was very uneven a year ago and he is getting up there in age. Rattler was once regarded as the potential first-overall pick a couple of years ago and has tools that shouldn't be available in the fifth round.
A lot has to happen for Rattler to get his shot. But if he gets it, he has the game to hang onto that job. For a fifth-round pick, it is well worth the dart throw to develop Rattler and see if he can be the quarterback of the future after Carr.
Follow Us
Subscribe