In news that nobody saw coming, the New Orleans Saints are currently the betting favorites to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Widely considered to be among the top passers in an admittedly weak class, Sanders’ elite accuracy and above-average athleticism have most draft analysts projecting him to be a top-10 pick. While Miami’s Cam Ward has become the unanimous first-overall pick, Sanders is usually projected to be a top-three selection.
However, with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants seemingly targeting Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Sanders could fall to the fourth-overall pick. With no more elite prospects on the board, quarterback-needy teams could try and trade up with the New England Patriots, a team that already has their franchise quarterback. If the Saints want to draft Shedeur Sanders, they might have to make an aggressive move and strike a deal with New England.
Saints, Patriots Could Pull Off Blockbuster Draft Trade
General Manager Mickey Loomis has never shied away from making aggressive moves. For better or worse, the longtime Saints leader has never let price drive him away from restructuring contracts, targeting free agents, or trading up in the NFL Draft. New Orleans has a flawed roster, but for the first time in forever, they have hope for the future. The team is “only” $25.9 million over the salary cap in 2026, which is a minor miracle seeing as that number is usually around $50 or $60 million at this point in the offseason. Head coach Kellen Moore has the financial resources to build a team in his image, and that starts with the quarterback.
Perhaps New Orleans can roll the dice and hope Shedeur Sanders falls in the draft, but that carries quite a bit of risk. While the Browns and Giants appear to prefer the elite non-quarterback prospects, the rest of the quarterback-needy teams won’t hesitate to select Sanders over guys like Will Campbell or Tetairoa McMillan. Loomis has never believed in doing things the cautious way, and the Patriots represent the first real chance for a trade up. However, it takes two to tango, so will New England want to trade back?
Potential Deals
If Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter are somehow on the board when the Patriots are on the clock, the team probably won’t accept a trade. However, if those two are not available, New England should be willing to trade with the Saints during the NFL Draft. As mentioned above, New England already has their quarterback of the future in UNC’s Drake Maye. Maye had a remarkable rookie season in a disastrous environment, showing promise despite playing with the worst supporting cast and coaching staff in football. While Mike Vrabel is an NFL-caliber head coach and the team spent big in free agency, this roster is far from perfect.
Seeing as there isn’t a major drop in talent between the fourth and ninth overall selections, New England would probably prefer having multiple picks to address the multitude of weaknesses on the roster. The Saints could send their first, third, and 2026 first-round picks for the fourth overall pick and one of New England’s fifth-round picks, and both sides would be happy.
