The New Orleans Saints made an aggressive move earlier this week in preparation for the 2022 NFL Draft. The Saints will now be doubling up on first-round selections in this year’s draft after making a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
New Orleans received the No. 16 and 19 picks in this year’s draft and a 2022 sixth-round pick, No. 194. Philadelphia is getting the No. 18, 101 and 237 (a first, third and seventh-round pick) in this year’s draft in addition to a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick.
The Saints certainly paid a premium price to pull off this deal. No one knows who is going to be available when they come on the clock this season and trading away future picks is always risky. If the Saints are not good in 2022 or 2023, those picks will be of great value.
But, the motivation from New Orleans’ perspective is an easy one to understand. Given their salary cap situation, they were unable to be players in free agency. Now, with two first-round picks, they can plug some holes on the roster with high-end talent.
One of the positions of need entering the draft is the wide receiver spot. Michael Thomas will hopefully be healthy enough to contribute this season after missing the entire 2021 campaign. He battled injuries in 2020 as well, which followed up two of the best seasons for a wide receiver in NFL history.
Over at Sporting News, they believe the Saints will address their need for a wide receiver with their first selection in the first round. That is when Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson will hear his name called.
Wilson is projected by many to be one of the first wide receivers off the board. In this instance, he is the second pass-catcher to hear his name called behind teammate, Chris Olave.
There is some work to be done with his technique and route running, but the talent is there when it comes to Wilson. His experience playing both in the slot and on the perimeter is something that teams will love, as he produced big numbers no matter where he was aligned.
In New Orleans, he can round out his game opposite Thomas, who will garner a ton of attention from opponents. Another Ohio State alumnus, the Saints’ wide receiver group would have a distinct Buckeye flavor with the addition of Wilson.
