Saints Predicted To Execute Round 1 Draft Trade With AFC Team, Land 3 Picks

This would be an aggressive move

Jul 26, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, US; New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis at training camp press conference at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

We've reached the stage of NFL draft season when people are just throwing anything at the wall.

Such was the case on Monday when ESPN's Bill Barnwell published a Round 1 mock draft with trades for all 32 picks. It's a fun read, one that includes an aggressive proposal that would see the New Orleans Saints, who own the ninth pick, trade back in Round 1 with the Miami Dolphins, who own the 13th selection.

Here are the full details:

Saints get: 2025 Round 1 pick (13), Round 2 pick (48), Round 5 pick (155)
Dolphins get: 2025 Round 1 pick (9), Round 3 pick (71)

"Since the Saints' spectacular, franchise-altering 2017 draft, they have mostly stayed put or moved up on draft day," wrote Barnwell, who also floated a Saints trade for the No. 5 pick, which they'd use on QB Shedeur Sanders. "A move down in the fourth round in 2023 was the first and only time they have traded down over the past seven years. They landed C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Zack Baun with trade-ups over the past few years, so at the very least, they've helped build a Super Bowl contender in Philadelphia.

"Since I've already laid out a move up for the Saints to draft Shedeur Sanders, let's consider a trade down here. With an extra third-round pick from the Marshon Lattimore deal last November, they would move down four spots and convert their third-rounder into another second-rounder. Suddenly, they would join the Bears as the only teams with three top-50 picks. Their best chance of quickly turning around their roster is to have a great draft, and the best way to have a great draft is to have as many premium picks as possible."

Speaking of wild Saints trade ideas, many are wondering whether New Orleans will consider moving wideout Chris Olave. We even speculated about a possible deal involving New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III.

However, head coach Kellen Moore put Olave trade rumors to bed on Tuesday, so everyone can move on.

More NFL: Mike Vrabel Endorses Potential Saints Target Joe Milton Amid Trade Chatter