We’re one week out from the 2023 NFL draft, which prompted ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell to put together a list of outlandish trade ideas for every pick in the first round of this year’s event — two of which center on the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints may have broken Barnwell’s resolve after a decade of erosion, but he’s still eager to take shots at them when it comes to draft analysis. And for good reason. There aren’t many more teams that like to sell off future picks and act aggressively on draft day to get in position for the best prospects possible.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis hasn’t traded down (only moving up) since the 2007 draft. Maybe one of these two moves comes close to hitting the mark if Loomis tries to make another leap up the draft board next Thursday:
- Patriots get: 1-29, 2-40
- Saints get: 1-14
We’ll start with the more-reasonable move. The Saints could really use another defensive end in light of Marcus Davenport’s departure — as Barnwell observed, Payton Turner hasn’t shown much, Cameron Jordan is getting older, and Carl Granderson is a good role player in a contract year. They lack juice in that rotation.
And Barnwell sees two options who could really help New Orleans out rushing off the edge, neither of whom are forecast to make it to their pick at the end of Round 1. He thinks it could cost the Saints their first- and second-round picks (at Nos. 29 and 40) to move up to the Patriots’ selection at No. 14:
New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis & Co. desperately need to address defensive tackle, but that’s a position they can hit later in this draft, even after trading away their second-round pick. This would be a trade up for an edge rusher such as Lukas Van Ness (Iowa) or Myles Murphy (Clemson), each of whom could be targets for the Lions or Seahawks (No. 20), depending on what those teams do with their previous picks in the top 10. Both of these players could see snaps on the interior in pass-rushing situations, which would shoulder some of the load created by all those vacated snaps at defensive tackle.
Now, that may check out with the various draft pick value charts floating around in the ether, but it would be awful rich of the Saints to look at last year’s team and think they’re a rookie defensive end away from a Super Bowl. They would have to wait 57 slots between picks to address the defensive tackle spot or another position of need after making this move. Sure, they could sign more veterans after the draft, but then they’re right back where they started this time next year without a long-term solution. Which brings us to Barnwell’s other trade idea.
- Saints get: 1-6, 3-81
- Lions get: 1-29, 2-40, 2024 first-round pick
What if the Saints want to get really, really bold? What if they take it to the top of the first round? That’s what Barnwell envisions in a way for New Orleans to cross off the top need on their to-do list with the top prospect at the position. He thinks the Saints could pull off a blockbuster trade to go get Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter, even if he’s still not buying them as a legit contender this year:
If the Saints need a defensive tackle, why not go all the way to the top of the class and take top-ranked tackle Jalen Carter? It would cost them two first-round picks and a swap of a second-rounder for a third-rounder, but who cares? The Saints will just deal their 2025 first-round pick to reacquire a first-rounder in 2024. The NFL’s oldest team is going to try to win now, even if winning now means nine games and a 14-point loss in the wild-card round as the 4-seed.
It would be tough for the Lions to drop from No. 6 to this spot, but they would grab another second-round pick, which would be the right place to target a tight end. Given the possibility of the Saints collapsing in 2023, the Lions might very well land another top-10 pick for being patient.
There’s a lot to unpack here. Carter bombed his workout in front of scouts at Georgia’s pro day, showing up out of shape and looking winded as he made his way through positional drills. Then he declined to meet with any teams picking outside the top-10 throughout the pre-draft process. And that’s all against the backdrop of his involvement in a street racing accident that killed a teammate and recruiting staffer. This doesn’t feel like a move the Saints would make.
But you never know. They’ve surprised us before. If Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis look at last season and believe they have the right pieces but just need a game-changer like Carter to get them over the top, they just might push their chips in all over again. As Barnwell noted, they can always trade their 2025 first-round pick to get another first rounder in 2024. Loomis and Allen enjoy rare job security around the NFL and they’re poised to make the most of it.
