3 potential trade packages for the Saints on draft night

Trade up? Trade down??

A popular topic that we’ve seen around the league lately are the wide range of trade proposals from many draft analysts and experts. Many of these suggestions have been done for teams hoping to find their quarterback of the future. We see trades involving Michigan’s J.J McCarthy, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, UNC’s Drake Maye etc. Something that we haven’t seen much of though, is a potential trade package for the New Orleans Saints.

Courtesy of Brad Spielberger of PFF who gave me the idea for this after he proposed that the Saints could potentially move up in the first round to select Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu with their first pick.

While this would be a very interesting trade for the Saints and would likely give them an immediate starter at a big position of need, the compensation felt a little too rich to not get the best tackle in the draft. With that being said, I did some of my own research in terms of anticipating what the Saints might do if they decide to make a trade in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.

After running through many scenarios over the past day or so, I decided on 3 potential trade packages that I think make the most sense for the Saints based on where they are as a team.

Here’s what I came up with:

Saints trade up to no. 10 for Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

• Saints send: Pick 14 (1st) & 45 (2nd)
• Jets send: Picks 10 (1st), 72 (3rd) & 111 (4th)

So, as I stated previously, this trade type of trade only makes sense if you go get the consensus number one tackle in the draft. In this case, Alt would likely have to slide a little bit, but it is entirely possible that this happens. Teams like L.A. (Chargers), New York (Giants) and Tennessee are some of the teams right now that are in the market for a tackle which could make it tough for the Saints. However, if those teams decide to go in a different direction, the Saints should be all over a move like this.

Saints trade back to no. 20, select Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton

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• Saints send: Pick 14 (1st)
• Steelers send: Picks 20 (1st), 84 (3rd) & 98 (3rd)

Here I have the Saints trading back with the Pittsburgh Steelers who will look to be jumping the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars for a top corner. In doing this, the Saints gain two third round picks in the process, which would mean everything for this team as they currently possess only one Day 2 pick. Adding young talent to this roster is the number one priority for this team at the moment. This trade gives them an opportunity to do that. With that being said, the player I have them taking at pick 20 is Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, a stellar pass protector who can play either spot on the line. This would make a ton of sense for a Saints team who has huge question marks at both of those positions.

Saints trade back to no. 29, select Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

• Saints send: pick 14 (1st)
• Lions send: picks 29 (1st), 61 (2nd) and 73 (3rd)

This one is probably the least likely of the three, but I definitely don’t hate it. Adding an additional second round pick along with an early third totally changes the landscape of this draft for the Saints. They would have a ton of ammo to potentially get impact players that can play immediately. With pick 29, one of those players for me is defensive tackle Byron Murphy. Murphy is a twitchy, explosive, wrecking ball in the interior. Although undersized, Murphy can win with both speed and power at the point of attack. Murphy’s stock continues to rise after an exceptional pre-draft process but if he is still on the board here, it’d be a no brainer for me.