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257 picks are in the books, but the New Orleans Saints are far from finished. The hours and days after the 2024 NFL draft will be filled with phone calls and rapid negotiations as the Saints compete with other teams to recruit undrafted players. These rookie free agents make up a huge part of the league’s workforce, and it’s vital that the Saints get their guys.

New Orleans has had a lot of success signing and developing undrafted free agents over the years. More recently they’ve picked up playmakers like wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, defensive end Carl Granderson, and safety J.T. Gray (who has earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition for his work on special teams). Every year a couple of these rookie free agents make the final 53-man roster, and some of them turn out to be real diamonds found in the rough.

These players are hoping to take the same path, following in their footsteps. Check this space often for instant analysis on each reported undrafted free agent signing:

The New Orleans Saints spent their final pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Josiah Ezirim, an Eastern Kentucky offensive lineman, who they selected at No. 239 overall. That’s the pick they got back from the Denver Broncos in exchange for Wil Lutz last year. So what’s his story?

Ezirim turns 23 in May, and he played a lot of snaps at Eastern Kentucky over the last two years while starting at right tackle. Pro Football Focus charting found that he allowed just two sacks during that time, and he was nearly perfect on a career-high 490 snaps in pass protection last season. The Colonels ran with...

There it is. The 2024 NFL draft is in the books, and it was a unique experience for New Orleans Saints fans. Their team only traded up once despite owning a wealth of selections on the draft’s third and final day, opting to stay put and let the board fall to them. It’s a reversal of their usually-aggressive strategy under general manager Mickey Loomis. Maybe it will lead to better results than we’ve seen in other drafts.

That strategy led to some very interesting pickups. Here’s a recap of the Saints’ 2024 draft class so you can get to know the rookies better:

The New Orleans Saints ultimately did add a pair of offensive tackles in the 2024 NFL draft.

New Orleans stayed put on Saturday and took five players starting with the former Oklahoma and South Carolina quarterback.

The New Orleans Saints added another offensive tackle in the final round of the 2024 NFL draft by selecting Josiah Ezirim, an offensive tackle from Eastern Kentucky.

Ezirim stands at 6’6’’ and weighs 329 pounds. His RAS score was high at 8.50, which is something the Saints really take into consideration when drafting their future players. He spent four years with the Colonels but switched from the defensive line to the offensive line in 2022.

In the past two years, he’s played 1,392 snaps, all on offense. Ezirim would only allow two sacks, both coming in the 2022 season. He was named...

The New Orleans Saints have had some great picks during the 2024 NFL draft cycle, and defensive lineman Khristian Boyd is no exception. He is a high-level run blocker that they met with earlier in the offseason process for an official 30 visit. With many other teams being involved, the Saints were able to snag Boyd at No. 199 in the sixth round.

One of Boyd’s biggest positive traits is his strength, which is immediately apparent whenever you watch him play. But it is also apparent when you watch his bench press video from the UNI pro day, where he put up 38 reps of 225 and set a school...

The New Orleans Saints go with a wide receiver as they select Bub Means out of Pittsburgh with the No. 170 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

Means, 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds, is a trait guy that they hope will develop into something in their offense. He has a great size and speed combo with a 4.43 40-yard dash, but has never been that productive in his career.

The Georgia native started his college football career in North. Louisiana at LA Tech, but transferred to Pittsburgh for his final two seasons. He really didn’t burst onto the scene until this past season with 41 catches for...

The New Orleans Saints select linebacker Jaylan Ford out of Texas with the No. 175 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

Ford amassed 220 tackles over his last two seasons at Texas with 20.5 of those going for a loss. He’s solid in coverage too with six career interceptions, including four in 2022. He won’t be a guy that will cover elite athletes, but will get the job done against most tight ends and some running backs.

Even better news for Ford, he won’t have to play that much right away. He will likely be the fourth linebacker in the room, but can learn from Demario Davis as the...

The New Orleans Saints add a run stuffer in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Khristian Boyd, a defensive tackle from Northern Iowa.

Standing at 6’2” and 330 pounds, Boyd certainly looks like a project piece with a RAS below 5, but the Saints have shown on several occasions that these projects can pan out over time.

Boyd spent five years in college football and was receiving interest from all 32 teams for depth on the defensive line. He played in the East-West Shrine Bowl and was dominant, so his name floated up draft boards and put him on a lot of teams’ radar.

Boyd...

There weren’t many people expecting Spencer Rattler to make it to the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft, but the New Orleans Saints made sure he didn’t fall any further. And Robert Griffin III was ecstatic to see them to do it — he says the Saints got the steal of the draft at quarterback by picking Rattler at No. 150.

“Of all the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class Spencer Rattler probably had the worst offensive line,” Griffin began, highlighting a fourth-quarter play against Kentucky in which he keyed his running back into picking up the blitz. He continued, “No hate on them...

This was a popular pick for the New Orleans Saints in a lot of mock drafts, and it ends up being the direction they went. The Saints selected Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd at No. 199 in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft, reuniting him with his former college teammate Trevor Penning.

Boyd wasn’t just popular among NFL fans. He had the second-most pre-draft meetings and visits of any prospect in this year’s class. Teams were highly intrigued by the run-stopping defensive tackle from a smaller school, and it’s easy to see why. He generated a ton of pressure on top of...

With the last of their three picks in the fifth round, the New Orleans Saints addressed their defensive front seven with Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford.

Once a strength, the New Orleans Saints run defense has started to fall off in recent years.