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Saints Use Lone Sixth-Round Pick To Grab Northern Iowa Lineman

The Saints go back to the school that they got Trevor Penning from and take an intriguing defensive tackle.

John Hendrix

Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette

The Saints were once again up for Day 3 of the NFL Draft, making their lone pick in Round 6 to take Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd, who was a teammate of Trevor Penning's.

QUICK THOUGHTS: Boyd was one of the most intriguing prospects coming into this draft, and New Orleans absolutely needed to address their interior defensive line. He's 6-foot-2, 328 pounds and is someone who played five seasons with the Panthers, racking up 13 sacks while recording 60 quarterback pressures. The Saints had a pre-draft visit with Boyd who brings a combination of talents along the interior. He's someone to keep a close watch on as we get into training camp, for sure.

KEY NEEDS: OL, TE, DB

Draft Profile Notes (from Bob Rose)

Boyd is pure power, capable of locking down a nose tackle spot but with enough of a pass rush for 3-technique. He has a relatively compact frame and plays with great leverage to maximize his impressive strength. Commanding double-teams on most snaps, he still had the power to consistently push into backfields.

Remaining Saints Picks

  • Round 7, 239th Overall (via DEN)

2024 Saints Draft Picks

  • Round 1, 14th Overall - Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
  • Round 2, 41st Overall - Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
  • Round 5, 150th Overall - Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina
  • Round 5, 170th Overall - Bub Means, WR, Pitt
  • Round 5, 175th Overall - Jaylan Ford, LB, Texas
  • Round 6, 199th Overall - Khristian Boyd, DL, Northern Iowa

Saints Draft Coverage (Video)

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John Hendrix

JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net