NEWSLETTER
I can justify any number of teams wanting to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft. And frankly, I’m a believer in shooting your shoot, reaching for the moon, and throwing caution to the wind in an attempt to get your dream prospect.
Even still, some trade-up scenarios are wilder than others:
Saints trying to move alllll the way up into Top 10.
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) April 29, 2021
NFL insider Jay Glazer reports the New Orleans Saints are trying to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Saints trading up would be unexpected. Moving up from the late 20s and into the top-10 is almost unheard of over the course of NFL Draft history. Then again, the Chiefs slid from No. 27 and into the No. 10 spot in 2017 Draft, but did so to take a quarterback. We all know how that story ended, so there’s no need to go down that rabbit hole today.
What makes the idea of a Saints trade-up all the more interesting are reports that the team does not have eyes on a quarterback:
I was told #Saints GM Mickey Loomis is working the phone, trying to trade into the top 10, per sources.
The primary reason isn’t for a QB, it’s actually for another position.
Although, there is 1 QB (not named Trevor) who would change their minds if he was still available.— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) April 29, 2021
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport adds the Saints are eyeing an elite cornerback in a trade-up. Maybe someone like Jaycee Horn (South Carolina) or Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) fits the bill here.
This wouldn’t be the first time New Orleans has made a move up draft boards with the intent of adding an impact defender. In 2018, New Orleans and Green Bay made a swap that resulted in the Saints getting pass-rusher Marcus Davenport. It also resulted in the Packers landing Jaire Alexander as a first-rounder in 2018 and Darnell Savage a year later. So … thanks for nothing, Mickey Loomis!
Whomever is responsible for running the team’s Twitter handle knows exactly what they are doing with this tweet…
👀
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 29, 2021
… and I’m totally here for it.
The Saints trading up into the top-10 and not taking a quarterback would be a nice development for the Bears. Especially if Chicago has eyes on drafting a signal caller of their own. HOWEVER … if the Saints make an unexpected slide to take a QB, then there will be a new round of clarity coming the Bears’ way. Because it would be unlikely that a quarterback drops if a team like the Saints is moving up. That would allow some premium talent at other positions to fall into Chicago’s lap at pick 20.
Then again, I’d be more than slightly annoyed that a team similar to the Bears — late-20s first-round pick, minimal salary cap space, “meh” draft capital — successfully jumps Chicago *AND* gets a quarterback out of the deal. So hopefully, that’s not how this unfolds for the Bears. But part of me is always prepared for the worst.
