Mel Kiper 2013 NFL Draft Grades for the New Orleans Saints

As Mel Kiper freely admits, you can't grade an NFL draft from a performance standpoint until years later. But Kiper can grade the 2013 NFL Draft on a couple of others points.

• How much overall talent did a team add based on board position?
• How effectively did they address key personnel needs?
• How efficient were they in maneuvering on the draft board?

And I use my player grades as the prism. I'm well aware all NFL teams see players differently -- I might have a third-round grade on a safety many teams see as a late-round pick. That's the reality of player evaluations.

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And with all that in mind, he gives the New Orleans Saints "B-" grade for addressing needs, a "B" grade for value, and an overall draft grade of "B."

What does a "B" grade mean to Kiper. According to his grading scale, it's pretty good. Like, it literally means pretty good.

Grading Scale: In my mind an "A" means it's exceptional; a "B" is pretty good; a "C" means average, with hits and misses; a "D" means below average with some big questions. An "F" ... well, I didn't have one.

Here's the meat and potatoes of Kiper's grade for the Saints, his in-depth analysis and explanation:

Summary: Welcome back, New Orleans. Last year, the Saints were basically shut out, with no picks in either Round 1 or 2. This year, they got some pretty good players at a few different spots. Kenny Vaccaro is the best safety in what is a really good draft class of safeties, so getting him at No. 15 was by no means a reach, particularly when that's a big need for this defense. Terron Armstead was a pretty good value at another need position all the way down at No. 75. He's an extremely athletic left tackle prospect. The problem is he needs time to develop, and that position looks really shaky headed into 2013. John Jenkins is a huge, high-effort defensive tackle who can play immediately. If there's a big question for New Orleans, it's whether it should have taken Jarvis Jones at No. 15, because the Saints could use a pass-rusher. But they got better over these three days.

Kiper pretty much echoes the sentiments that most Saints fans have already expressed. Overall a pretty good class. Vaccaro's not a reach, but perhaps they could have gone with Jones. Armstead was top value. Jenkins is fat. Only thing he forgot to mention was Kenny Stills' 40-yard time.

So what do you guys think? Is Kiper accurate here?