Saints reportedly agree to blockbuster draft trade before the 2022 NFL Draft

No, this isn’t April Fool’s. At approximately 3:00 p.m. CST on Monday, April 4th, Adam Schefter Tweeted out this bomb:

TRADE: Eagles sending picks No. 16, No. 19 and No. 194 in the sixth round to the Saints in exchange for pick No. 18, No. 101 in the third round, No. 237 in the 7th round AND a 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick, per sources.

Saints now at 16, 19; Eagles at 15, 18.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2022

Oh boy is there a lot to unpack there.

The New Orleans Saints traded away a 2022 3rd, 2022 7th, a 2023 1st, and a 2024 2nd for what amounts to an extra pick in the first round of this year’s draft plus an extra 6th round pick.

For the 2022 NFL Draft, the Saints started with seven picks: 18, 49, 98, 101, 120, 161, and 237.

Now, the Saints still have seven picks: 16, 19, 49, 98, 120, 161, and 194.

Here’s the easy way to think about it: The New Orleans Saints traded a 2022 3rd round pick (of which they had two) and a 2024 2nd round pick to convert next year’s first round pick into a first round pick this year. The Saints went from having 3 picks within the Top 100 selections to having 4 picks in the Top 100, including two picks in the Top 20.

The biggest takeaway from this trade is that New Orleans Saints front office must really, really like the first round talent in this year’s draft to make this move now, without knowing how the board falls on draft day. This move also communicates that the front office believes the 2022 New Orleans Saints are going to be a contender and they believe, at least right now, that their first round pick next year will be a low one.

Here’s to seeing how it all plays out, but stay tuned for additional details.