The New Orleans Saints are now in great position to find their new quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft after trading picks with the Eagles.
The 2022 NFL Draft is still a few weeks away but the Saints and Eagles got the party started early with a huge trade involving multiple first-round picks.
In essence, Philadelphia is trading two of their three first-round selections to the Saints in return for future draft capital.
New Orleans is now loading up on the picks for 2022 and a quarterback could be at the center of it all.
Details of Saints trade with Eagles
Saints Get
16th pick for 2022
19th pick for 2022
194th pick for 2022
Eagles Get
18th, 101st and 237th picks for 2022
1st round pick for 2023
2nd round pick for 2024
What does the Saints trade mean?
Those are a lot of picks being swapped for relatively little movement in the middle of the first round.
It’s all about flexibility for the Saints, who just brought back Jameis Winston on a two-year deal.
They went from having just the No. 18 pick in the first round to the No. 16 and No. 19. They could turn those picks into an even better first rounder, potentially moving up as high as No. 5.
If New Orleans views any of the top quarterbacks in this class as “their guy” they could absolutely make something happen to go get him with their new draft capital.
Alternatively, they could wait for someone to fall to them in the middle of the first while having another pick at their disposal to use at wide receiver or offensive tackle.
Immediately some on Twitter speculated that the move to No. 16 was specifically about getting ahead of the Chargers at No. 17. LA is also in the market for a left tackle in the first round.
If pick No. 16 is an offensive lineman, the Saints should still have the option to take their quarterback at No. 18 since the Chargers have no need at that position.
Worst comes to worst, New Orleans isn’t able to pick up the quarterback they want either by trading up or staying pat. They can still use their three Top 50 selections to fill holes in their roster with cheaper and younger players.
The key is drafting the right ones, which is always easier said than done, regardless of position.