Saints should trade up to find value in the first round

The New Orleans Saints own the 29th overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft. This year’s draft in the particle isn't very deep in the back end of the 1st round. The Saints have always drafted with the philosophy of taking the highest player on the board and not drafting based on need.

The largest holes currently on the roster is defensive end and defensive tackle. Vale wise there may not be great value for those positions at 29.

The top defensive ends that are projected to go in the first round are Will Anderson, Tyree Wilson, Lukas Van Ness, Myles Murphy and Nolan Smith. The most likely outcome is that none are available at 29.

Defensive tackle may be more realistic at 29, but is it the right value? The best value for a defensive tackle may be with their 2nd round pick, 40th overall. The top projected defensive tackles are Jalen Carter, Bryan Bresee, Calijah Kancey, Adetomiwa Adebawore and Mazi Smith. Smith, Kancey, Breese, or Adebawore could make sense at 29th overall but could also be potentially available at 40th overall.

With the 29th overall pick, the Saints should trade up, or stay put and take the best available player. It is impossible to predict who will fall that the Saints have rated high enough to trade up, history shows the Saints will target a player and trade him to make sure they get him. The Saints tried to trade up to guarantee they landed Cesar Ruiz. They couldn't find a deal to trade up, but they landed him with the 24th overall pick.

According to the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, the Saints could package picks 29 and 40 and get all the way up to 15 or 16. If a player they love and value around that range falls, they should absolutely trade up.

If not, the Saints should sit tight and take the best available player on their board. There may be some offensive skills positions in this range that would be a great value pick. WR, TE, and RB could all be large wants for the Saints in this draft as well.

If they can’t address DL with picks 29 or 40 there are still some solid free agents, they can add.

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