We are less than three weeks away from the start of the NFL draft on April 27 in Kansas City — and with that comes all sorts of fun speculation, informed opinions and educated guesses. Our crew of beat writers and columnists met at the roundtable to engage in those very things.
On Tuesday, we discussed Hendon Hooker’s pre-draft visit to Saints headquarters.
On Wednesday, our writers gave their opinions on which position the Saints need to address.
On Thursday, we played the role of general manager on the clock, revealing which player each of us would take with the Saints’ No. 29 overall pick.
On Friday, we kicked around things like depth, offensive firepower and other things the Saints still need to upgrade this offseason.
Saturday, we tackle a (seemingly) simple question. Here’s the fifth and final installment of their latest roundtable:
Just for fun: Will this be the year the Saints finally trade down?
Luke Johnson: As long as Mickey Loomis sits in that general manager’s chair, I highly doubt the Saints will look to move back in the draft. For better or worse, New Orleans is a team that identifies its targets and then does everything it can to make sure it lands them. Maybe that’s why they, more often than not, land impact rookies (their 2022 class looks like it’s going to be very good). Then again, if their scouting staff has been so consistently right about players, why not give them more bites at the apple?
Terrin Waack: No. It has been abundantly clear by Saints general manager Mickey Loomis that the goal is always to move up in the draft order rather than down. The higher, the better. Also, think about it: The Saints went into this offseason without a 2023 first-round draft pick. When looking to trade former coach Sean Payton, their asking price was a first-round draft pick. They wouldn’t settle for less then, and they won’t settle for less ever.
Rod Walker: Their draft history says they won’t, and I don’t see that changing this year either.
Jeff Duncan: It all depends on what happens in front of them in Round 1. I know the Saints have rarely traded down, but you could make a good argument that this would be a good year because of the Saints’ slot at the end of the first round. That’s a no-man’s land in this draft, which features about 20 prospects with true first-round grades. It’s possible that the player on the board at No. 29 will have the same grade as the player they select at No. 40. So a trade down to acquire an extra player, considering their future salary cap issues, would make sense this year.
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