All eyes were on what draft picks the New Orleans Saints could have potentially moved to acquire Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson ahead of the new league year. Now, the 2022 NFL Draft has been dramatically changed in a different way, as the Saints have agreed to a massive draft capital trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
With this trade and their draft-day move now official, here are where the Saints are slated to pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
New Orleans Saints draft picks in 2022
- Round 1 | Pick 11 (from WAS)
Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State - Round 1 | Pick 19 (from PHI)
Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa - Round 2 | Pick 49
Alontae Taylor, CB, Tennessee - Round 5 | Pick 161
D’Marco Jackson, LB, Appalachian State - Round 6 | Pick 194 (from IND via PHI)
Jordan Jackson, DT, Air Force
The Saints sent a multitude of picks in both the 2022 NFL Draft and the 2023 and 2024 drafts to acquire an additional first-round pick from the Eagles. New Orleans sent three picks in 2022 (1-18, 3-101, 7-237), a first-round pick in 2023, and a second-round pick in 2024 to Philadelphia. The Eagles sent two of their first-round picks (Nos. 16 and 19) as well as a sixth-round pick (No. 194) to the Saints in exchange.
New Orleans then owned two first-round picks as well as a second-round pick, but that’s all they have over the first two days of the draft. Utilizing their new capital, the Saints moved up on draft day to acquire the 11th overall pick. New Orleans drafted the second Ohio State receiver in a row by grabbing Chris Olave at No. 11.
The Saints sent pick Nos. 16, 98, and 120 to the Washington Commanders in exchange for pick No. 11. Utilizing their new pick from the Eagles, New Orleans secured their biggest draft need by grabbing Trevor Penning from Northern Iowa.
New Orleans Saints 2022 NFL Draft team needs
There was a reason the Saints were such major players in the Watson saga. After all, obtaining a quarterback is their top need this offseason. With the Taysom Hill project yielding little returns, the Saints opted to re-sign Jameis Winston to a two-year deal. It didn’t hide the fact that the Saints met with Watson during the start of the league’s legal tampering period.
Ultimately, New Orleans did not acquire Watson and entered the month of April “set” at the quarterback position. But now, with the additional first-round pick, they seem to be in either win-now or build-for-2023 mode.
With the trade with Philadelphia now complete, here are the Saints’ top draft needs ahead of April’s event:
- Offensive Tackle
- Safety
- Wide Receiver
- Defensive Tackle
- Quarterback