Some New Orleans Saints fans have already shifted their focus to the 2024 NFL draft, and while we aren’t ready to pack it in and go that direction it is worth checking in on where the team could be picking. The trade deadline is rapidly approaching on Oct. 31 and it’s a good time to keep up with their assets.
The Saints have added a couple of selections from the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles through previous trades (for Sean Payton and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, respectively), and the latest forecasts have the Saints owning eight picks in the 2024 draft. Here’s where Tankathon slots them all into the 2024 draft order, reflecting the latest NFL standings:
- Round 1, pick 12
- Round 2, pick 35 (via Denver)
- Round 4, pick 137 (compensatory)
- Round 5, pick 153
- Round 5, pick 172 (compensatory)
- Round 5, pick 176 (compensatory)
- Round 6, pick 193
- Round 6, pick 210 (via Philadelphia)
It’s important to remember that those compensatory picks have not been awarded; we’re relying on predictions from Over The Caps’ analysts to fill those out. And those forecasts change each week. The comp picks formula is mostly reliant on contract information, but it also accounts for playtime. Players who log more snaps are seen as more valuable losses. Comp picks will be confirmed in March 2024, so they can’t be included in any trade talks.
When OTC’s predictions first went up the Saints were projected to receive two fourth-round comp picks (for David Onyemata and Marcus Davenport) and a sixth-round selection (for Kaden Elliss). Onyemata has met expectations with the Atlanta Falcons, but his teammate Elliss has surpassed them, recording 262 snaps in four games. That bumped his projection up to a fifth rounder.
It’s the opposite scenario for Davenport. He’s only tallied 49 snaps in two games with the Minnesota Vikings while managing an ankle injury. The fewer snaps he plays this season, the worse that comp pick coming back to New Orleans will be, even if he signed with the Vikings for $13 million.
What about the missing selections? The draft has seven rounds, after all. The Saints previously traded their second rounder (No. 43) to the Eagles as part of a package to get another first-round pick in 2022, which they invested in left tackle Trevor Penning. New Orleans also sent back their third rounder (No. 82) to the Broncos, which they view as having upgraded to a second-round choice. Their fourth-round pick (No. 117) belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars through the draft-day trade to move up for backup quarterback Jake Haener. And the Saints sent their seventh rounder (No. 235) to the Houston Texans so they could bring running back Mark Ingram II home a couple years ago.
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