2021 Compensatory Draft Picks: 8 Saints free agents who could qualify

The New Orleans Saints have many expensive pending free agents, and they could qualify for compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

OL Andrus Peat

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Estimated average annual salary: $11 million

Projected compensatory pick: 4th round

Will Peat be valued in free agency as a two-time Pro Bowl (alternate) guard, or as a potentially starting-quality left tackle? His results at the latter position have been mixed at best (and only ever in relief of injured starter Terron Armstead), but teams are under a lot of pressure to find answers on the blind side. Draft prospects at left tackle aren’t as polished as they used to be, and many NFL position coaches are getting exposed as subpar by struggling to develop players drafted highly. Peat should command $10 million per year at worst in free agency, and that’s if teams see him as a guard. If there is a bidding war for him as a left tackle, he could garner $12 million or better.

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