Khristian Boyd is your New Orleans Saints Player of Day 97 as we count down to kickoff for the 2024 season. The rookie defensive tackle has a great opportunity in front of him, but before we get to that, let’s get to know him a little better:
- Name (Age): Khristian Boyd (24)
- Position: Defensive tackle
- Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 320 pounds
- Relative Athletic Score: 4.63
- 2024 salary cap hit: $839,707
- College: Northern Iowa
- Drafted: 199th overall in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
- NFL experience: Rookie
Boyd is making a big leap from UNI to the NFL, just like his former teammate Trevor Penning has experienced on the other side of the ball. But expectations are wildly different for him as a sixth-round pick compared to Penning as a former first rounder. All Boyd needs to focus on in 2024 is playing his role well as a run-stopper in relief of Khalen Saunders.
But what if there’s more in store for him? The Saints were too soft in the middle of Dennis Allen’s defense last season, allowing the 11th-most rushing yards per game and twice giving up 200-plus yards on the ground in divisional matchups (Week 12 to the Atlanta Falcons, Week 14 to the Carolina Panthers). The veteran players the Saints have at defensive tackle have not stopped the run well enough, so maybe Boyd can climb the depth chart.
Still, we shouldn’t put too high of expectations on the rookie. He fell so far in the draft for good reasons and we’ve seen how challenging the jump from the Missouri Valley Conference to the NFL can be with Penning. Saddling Boyd with expectations that are too heavy is doing him a disservice. For now, we’ll be happy to see how he performs at training camp and take it for there.
