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The Saints drafted Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, Pittsburgh wide receiver Bub Means, Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford, Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd, and Eastern Kentucky tackle Josiah Ezirim.

Taliese Fuaga, Offensive Tackle, Oregon State

Saints 1st round draft pick, No. 14

The New Orleans Saints selected Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 25.

Fuaga, a 6-6, 324lb junior from Tacoma, Wash., earned multiple first team All-American honors in 2023. A standout in the Pac-12, he received first team All-Pac-12 accolades and was recognized as a Polynesian Player of the Year finalist. He was a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in 2023. Throughout his junior year, Taliese helped his team average nearly 170 yards per game rushing.

Kool-Aid McKinstry, Cornerback, Alabama

Saints 2nd round draft pick, No. 41

After trading up four spots in Round 2, the New Orleans Saints selected cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry from Alabama with the 41st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday, April 26, 2024.

McKinstry, a 6-foot-1 junior from Birmingham, Ala., was one of the nation’s top corners who also contributed at punt returner for the Crimson Tide. He was selected as a first team All-American by the Associated Press and The Sporting News in addition to being selected as a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented each year to the nation’s top defensive back. In 2023, McKinstry broke up seven passes to go with 32 tackles, including two for loss (-4 yards) as well as returned 14 punts for 86 combined yards with a long gain of 33.

Spencer Rattler, Quarterback, South Carolina

Saints 5th round draft pick, No. 150

The New Orleans Saints selected quarterback Spencer Rattler from South Carolina with the 150th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Rattler, 6 feet, 211 pounds, spent two seasons with the Gamecocks after beginning his collegiate career at Oklahoma. He played in 48 career contests, posting a 28-14 record in 42 career starts while completing 900-of-1,313 career passes (68.5 pct.) for 10,807 yards with 77 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. He threw at least one touchdown pass in 32 of his 42 career starts and finished his Gamecock career fifth all-time in passing yards with 6,212. He also ranked first in Carolina history in career completion percentage (.675), fifth in career completions (523) and ninth in career passing touchdowns (37) despite playing just two seasons in the Garnet & Black.

Bub Means, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh

Saints 5th round draft pick, No. 170

The New Orleans Saints selected wide receiver Bub Means from Pittsburgh with the 170th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Means, a 6-foot-2 senior from Lovejoy, Ga., played in all 12 games for the Panthers in 2023, starting 10 at wide receiver. He was an honorable mention All‐ACC, compiling 41 receptions for 721 yards (17.6 avg.) and six touchdowns. Means led Pitt in receiving yards and TD catches with his 75‐yard touchdown catch at Virginia Tech marking a career‐long reception and was the Panthers’ longest of the season.

Jaylan Ford, Linebacker, Texas

Saints 5th round draft pick, No. 175

The New Orleans Saints selected linebacker Jaylan Ford from Texas with the 175th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Ford, a 6-foot-3 senior from Frisco, Texas, was a four-year linebacker who played in 49 games with 29 starts for the Longhorns. He was named a 2022 third-team All-American by The Associated Press and a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2022 and 2023. Ford racked up four interceptions in 2022 to tie for the Texas season record for a linebacker, which was last accomplished by Derrick Johnson in 2002 and 2003. He was also tabbed the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2021.

Khristian Boyd, Defensive Tackle, Northern Iowa

Saints 6th round draft pick, No. 199

The New Orleans Saints selected defensive tackle Khristian Boyd from Northern Iowa with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Boyd, a 6-foot-2 senior from Kansas City, MO, played in all 11 games for the Northern Iowa Panthers, recording 43 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks. He was named third-team Associated Press FCS All-American as well as first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023. In 2022, he was also named to the second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference. Boyd has a career 149 total tackles for the Panthers, 22.5 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks.

Josiah Ezirim, Offensive Tackle, Eastern Kentucky

Saints 7th round draft pick, No. 239

The New Orleans Saints selected offensive tackle Josiah Ezirim from Eastern Kentucky with the 239th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Ezirim, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound senior from Hilliard, Ohio, was named third-team Associated Press FCS All-American as well as first-team All-United Athletic Conference after starting 11 games at right tackle. As a junior, he played in all 12 games with the Colonels and was part of an offensive line that helped EKU rank third nationally in passing offense per game (329.7), fifth in third-down conversion percentage (.519), 10th in total offense per game (451.3), 11th in scoring offense (36.2), and 18th in red zone offense (.879). Ezirim and the offensive line helped EKU tally its highest point total in program history.