The New Orleans Saints swap with the Philadelphia Eagles doesn’t just give them two first round picks.
It gives them enough ammo to trade up for a marquee player – including a quarterback.
Through a combined nine-pick swap, the Saints now own picks 16 and 19, which translates to approximately 1,900 points on the Draft Point Chart that many teams use.
Those values can fluctuate based on the number of elite prospects in a given draft – espescially when QBs are on the board. But generally that could enable the Saints to move as high as Pick 4 or 5.
Are the Saints stockpiling picks to replenish their roster?
Or, could they be making a run at NC State tackle Ikeem Ekwonu or Evan Neal, if he slips.
The drafts top quarterbacks may also be available, including Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Liberty dual threat Malik Willis.
“Will they? How much ammo would it take – and do they need to? All that is going to play out over the next several weeks,” Ian Rapoport old NFL Network on Monday. “But yes. They now have (the picks) they need … if they want to.”
The Saints signed Jameis Winston to a 2 year deal in March.
But the Saints may have already tipped their hand on whether they viewed him as their long-term option.
The team let Winston test the free agency market last month and also made a run at DeShaun Watson before inking Winston.
The top draft stock acquired also raises an interesting point.
It’s just enough to leapfrog the Carolina Panthers, the team most likely to grab a QB in the top 10.