Despite having a well graded NFL draft, the New Orleans Saints had no 2024 draft picks make it to the NFL.com All-Rookie team, offensively or defensively. If there was one player who could have made it on this list, it was first-round pick Taliese Fuaga.
Fuaga comes in as one of the best players at his position, but that position was deep and headlined by star players. Four offensive tackles were selected in the first 15 picks. Only quarterback had more players selected in that range.
Joe Alt moving to right tackle for the Chargers opened the for Fuaga to make this team. Alt was the one lock. Unfortunately, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter went with fellow top-10 pick JC Latham, who is making the switch to left tackle similar to Fuaga.
After Fuaga, the draft class is littered with players whose greatest impact will likely be after Year 1. Kool-Aid McKinstry could be a Week 1 starter for this team next season. That likely only happens this year due to injury.
Khristian Boyd is the next draft pick who could make an impact as a rookie, but he shouldn’t be predicted to make the All-Rookie Team. The Bub Means and Spencer Rattler hype trains are rolling but they do sit low on the depth chart at their respective positions. The Saints figure to get a strong first-year impact from their rookie draft class, but other teams will be leaning on their rookies harder. That’s a ripple effect of the Saints lacking their third- and fourth-round picks this year.
