Who could have predicted that the New Orleans Saints would not make a trade through the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL draft? General manager Mickey Loomis has a reputation for acting aggressively on draft day to get his team in position for their highest-rated prospects, but they haven’t budged through two days of selections. But it’s not for lack of trying, according to head coach Dennis Allen.
“We tried,” Allen quipped to Nola.com’s Luke Johnson after the second and third rounds on Friday, “It just didn’t work out.”
The Saints reportedly tried to make a first-round trade with the Minnesota Vikings during Thursday night’s opening frame, but they wouldn’t move off their pick at No. 23. Which prospects Allen and the Saints were targeting there or on Friday are unclear, and it’s unlikely we’ll ever find out for sure.
Instead, the Saints came away with three picks at each of their first three opportunities. They added instant-impact players in defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (Clemson) and defensive end Isaiah Foskey (Notre Dame) as well as high-upside running back Kendre Miller (TCU).
And they’ll go into the final four rounds of picks on Saturday with five selections to their credit. We’ll see if the Saints package some of those assets in moves up the board, as they’ve been attempting all along, but it’s possible they — for once — actually stand pat and submit all of their draft picks as regularly scheduled. And they have to trade down for more value eventually, right? For now, here are their remaining 2023 draft pick slots:
- Round 4 (115)
- Round 5 (146)
- Round 5 (165)
- Round 7 (227)
- Round 7 (257)
