New Orleans Saints Draft Grade:

Round 1, #15 – S Kenny Vaccaro, Texas – Grade: A

-The Saints secondary was a mess last season and they add the top safety in the draft with this pick. Vaccaro should step in day one and make a nice impact for this unit. This is a major upgrade for New Orleans, and they did so without reaching, which is an added bonus.

Round 3, #75 – OT Terron Armstead, Arknsas-Pine Bluff – Grade: A-

-The Saints offensive tackles are a growing concern and Armstead has one of the highest upsides of the entire draft. He could compete for a starting job as a rookie, despite coming from a smaller school. There will likely be some growing pains with him, but this is a great long term fit.

Round 3, #82 – DT John Jenkins, Georgia – Grade: A+

-The Saints did well to trade up here. Jenkins could have easily been a top 50 pick. He’s a strong physical nose tackle, who can both occupy blockers and push the pocket. There are some effort/work ethic questions, but he fills a huge need for the Saints and is a great value. This is a huge win for New Orleans as they look to make the 3-4 transition.

Round 5, #144 – WR Kenny Stills, Oklahoma – Grade: B-

-This is right around were Stills should have gone and the Saints could use some youth among their receivers. Stills though is a huge question mark, he has the potential to be very good, but effort and some other red flags plague him. In the 5th round though this is a good spot to take a chance on him.

Round 6, #183 – DE Rufus Jonson, Tarleton St. – Grade: C

-Definitely fills a need, but this is a project pick and there were some better pass rushers on the board.

Overall: A

-The Saints were short some picks, but I thought they did a really good job overall. They hit on three of their four biggest needs, with their top three picks. All three guys could potentially start this year, and all have a high upside going forward. Stills was a nice late round pick that could develop, and may add some special teams value as a rookie. Vaccaro was a huge pick-up for this team as his coverage ability should make an immediate impact. For a team that was missing their 2nd round pick, I don’t think you could ask for a better all around draft.