A massive NFL trade may have changed everything for the Saints
Even during draft season, it feels like trades can take all the attention. Many of the draft conversations in recent weeks have been about teams trying to trade up into the top 7 picks, and teams trying to trade out, but the game-changing draft move was from neither of those rumors.
Around a week ago, star New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence requested a trade from the team, and although reports suggested a fix might be found. If he was going to be traded, many believed that the Giants would have to be fine with getting a first-round pick from a team selected later in the round. New York really did not have much leverage given how public this has been, but somehow the Giants beat expectations by trading Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for #10 overall.
Now, the Giants own #5 and #10 in this year's NFL Draft. This was an excellent move by New York, and now, they have much more flexibility in their selections, which is not good news for the New Orleans Saints.
With the Saints selecting at pick #8, they are between the Giants' selections, which could spell trouble. Recently, the Saints' interest in talented WR Jordyn Tyson has become evident, and his being selected on draft night would not be a surprise. Another team that seems to also be infatuated with Tyson is the Giants. Just like the Saints, the Giants have their WR1, but are ready to get a star WR2 to elevate the offense. If the Giants expect Tyson to be drafted before #0, they can now easily select the former Arizona State WR at 5.
If the Saints believed they could get Tyson at 8, that may no longer be true. This would force the team to pivot and prepare for that outcome, but it may also be the best thing to happen for the Saints. If Tyson is drafted at 5 and Carnell Tate is still a top-7 selection, that could drop one of the Saints' higher-rated prospects to 8. In the end, this could be the best outcome for the roster, especially with WR being so deep in this year's class.
Another scary outcome of the Giants' trade could be a trade-up. Now that the Giants have pick 10, they can easily trade up with the Cleveland Browns at 6 (it has been heavily rumored that the Browns want to move back). If the Giants do not want to select Tyson at 5, they can instead select the top player they want and then trade up to get Tyson. That would take a potential defensive player and Tyson off the board for the Saints.