Kool-Aid McKinstry was the Saints’ first-round pick in 2024, and he is starting to come into his own. There are questions about the corners who share the defensive backfield with him (Quincy Riley and Isaac Yiadom). With their second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Saints draft a two-time All-American from Indiana in D’Angelo Ponds. He was the defensive MVP of both the Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl.

Ponds is 5’9 and 182 pounds, and runs a 4.35 forty. He also has nearly a 44″ vertical, to highlight his explosiveness. In his college career, he had six interceptions and four touchdowns. He likes to gamble and jump routes, and gets it right more often than not, but when he doesn’t, he has the burst to recover. He is exceptionally competitive and will find a way to win on every play.

Ponds is a little small, but so was Darelle Revis, and that didn’t hurt the latter. That said, bigger-bodied receivers do tend to push him around and get position through boxing out. Regardless of his weaknesses, his strengths outweigh them, and he would start right away.