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The NFL draft is a fickle process, with teams carefully guarding their intentions behind media smokescreens and say-a-little-in-a-lot jargon whenever coaches are forced to get in front of a microphone. Few teams are as difficult to pin down as the New Orleans Saints, who surprised the football world just a few years ago by trading up halfway through the first round to select pass rusher Marcus Davenport.
Could the Saints make another bold move in 2020? The latest mock draft from Henry McKenna over at For The Win suggests a scenario that might prompt another trade for New Orleans, with several quarterback prospects slipping far beyond their expected landing spots. When Oregon Ducks prospect Justin Herbert fell to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 21 overall, McKenna picked the Saints to vault over several competitors and add their quarterback of the future:
TRADE! NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: JUSTIN HERBERT, QB, OREGON — I don’t know that Bill Belichick will be interested in Herbert, but you can be he’ll set smokescreens to confuse just about everyone. The Dolphins could be interested in the Oregon QB at this point in the draft. So to be sure the Saints trade up and land their quarterback of the future — let’s not kid ourselves about Taysom Hill. New Orleans nabs Herbert. They trade 24th overall and a 2021 third-round pick. Easy decision.
The price for making that move is easy to justify; the Saints expect to receive a third-round compensatory pick in 2021 after Teddy Bridgewater joined the Carolina Panthers in free agency. Herbert is also someone they’re familiar with, having watched him go through a week of practices at this year’s Senior Bowl. The Saints also credentialed scouts for a few of his games at Oregon last season, so he’s obviously been on their radar.
And for good reason. Herbert consistently makes good decisions with the football, keeping his eyes up and looking downfield for opportunities to make a play. He’s also not afraid to go off-script and buy time with his legs, though he’s done most of his work from the pocket. It’s easy to see the appeal.
But whether he actually does slip down the draft board feels unlikely. He’s ranked among the best quarterback prospects in this year’s class, with some teams reportedly preferring him to Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa as the second-best option behind LSU’s Joe Burrow. Unless there’s a lot of mixed messaging going on through the media, fans should expect Herbert to come off the board early on April 23.
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