Saints have traded up in draft 26 straight times: We rank the picks and ask Mickey Loomis if approach could change

If this is finally going to be the year when the New Orleans Saints trade down in the NFL Draft — they haven't done it since 2007 — general manager Mickey Loomis wasn’t tipping his hand during Tuesday’s pre-draft news conference.

It makes sense, right? The Saints had the NFL’s oldest roster in 2023. They have long-term needs across the board. And they have just two picks in the first four rounds (No. 14 and No. 45).

But when asked if those factors might alter his trade philosophy this year, Loomis openly admitted that’s not his usual style. That's putting it lightly. Loomis has traded up 26 straight times over the past 16 drafts.

“Every year, I say we’re willing to do either way, and then I’m like 15-0 going up, right? So it’s kind of hard for me to keep saying that I’m willing to trade back (when) I haven’t done it for quite some time.”

What we learned from Mickey Loomis' pre-draft press conferenceThe Dot presented by Matt Bowers Auto Group pic.twitter.com/OusMBfskQ4— NOF (@nofnetwork) April 23, 2024

Later, when Loomis was asked whether their internal review of those trades was worth it over the years, he replied, “Well I must think it’s pretty good if I keep doing it, right? Yeah, I feel like it’s been good for us.”

Loomis has always been unapologetic about the Saints’ penchant for trading up in the draft, even when he gets raked over the coals by the analytics community for losing pick value in the process.

You can obviously make a much stronger argument with analytics on your side. Teams miss all the time in the draft, from the No. 1 pick through 200. So having more swings at the plate gives you a better chance of hitting.

However, Loomis’ counter-argument is harder to quantify. He said, “I really believe in the evaluation process we do.”

“I think there are cases where dropping back makes some sense to get more picks. I just think in our case, most of the time, it’s just been a move too far back,” Loomis explained. “If you move back three or four spots, probably the level of player is similar. If you’re moving back eight to 10, I think oftentimes you’re dropping down a class.

“If you believe in your board, if you believe in the evaluations your staff have done, then it’s just hard for me to grasp getting a lesser player talent-wise. I believe in the evaluation process we do, and that’s what makes it more difficult.”

The other factor is the Saints have spent much of the past 16 years as a top playoff contender with a deep and loaded roster. That’s no longer the case today – largely because of some recent misses in the early rounds of the draft.

So it will be fascinating to see if they alter their approach accordingly. In the meantime, here is a rundown of those 26 trades up the board and how they fared. Note that some of the biggest misses have come in recent years, which is a big reason why the roster is in its current state.)

🆕: Which position do the Saints draft best and worst?The Lead presented by Friend and Company Fine JewelersFULL EPISODE⬇️https://t.co/qZUcCPgIFT pic.twitter.com/FNKJhBMww4— NOF (@nofnetwork) April 23, 2024

THE GOOD

2022: WR Chris Olave, first round (No. 11). Traded first-rounder (No. 16), third-rounder (No. 98) and fourth-rounder (No. 120).

2021: CB Paulson Adebo, third round (76). Traded two third-rounders (98 and 105).

2019: C Erik McCoy, second round (48). Traded second-rounder (62), sixth-rounder (202) and 2020 second-rounder for McCoy and fourth-rounder (116).

2019: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, fourth round (105). Traded fourth-rounder (116) and fifth-rounder (168).

2017: RB Alvin Kamara, third round (67). Traded seventh-rounder (229) and 2018 second-rounder.

2016: DT David Onyemata, fourth round (120). Traded fifth-rounder (152) and 2017 fifth-rounder.

2016: S Vonn Bell, second round (61). Traded third-rounder (78) and fourth-rounder (112).

2014: WR Brandin Cooks, first round (20). Traded first-rounder (27) and third-rounder (91).

2009: P Thomas Morstead, fifth round (164). Traded seventh-rounder (222) and 2010 fifth-rounder.

Which Saints draft pick did you know was going to be a star? pic.twitter.com/Z27gy4AANE— NOF (@nofnetwork) April 22, 2024

THE BAD

2022: Traded future capital to get an extra first-round pick. Traded first-rounder (18), third-rounder (101), seventh-rounder (237), 2023 first-rounder and 2024 second-rounder for two first-rounders (16 and 19) and sixth-rounder (194).

(*-Note. One of those picks became Olave after another trade-up. The other pick became LT Trevor Penning, so you can’t specifically label which player the Saints traded up for. That said, the overall value has been negative so far.)

2020: LB Zack Baun, third round (74). Traded third-rounder (88) and 2021 third-rounder for Baun and seventh-rounder (244).

2020: TE Adam Trautman, third round (105). Traded fourth-rounder (130), fifth-rounder (169), sixth-rounder (203) and seventh-rounder (244).

2020: QB Tommy Stevens, seventh round (240). Traded 2021 sixth-rounder.

2018: DE Marcus Davenport, first round (14). Traded first-rounder (27), fifth-rounder (No. 147) and 2019 first-rounder.

2010: DT Al Woods, fourth round (123). Traded fourth-rounder (130) and sixth-rounder (201).

2010: C/G Matt Tennant, fifth round (158). Traded 2011 fourth-rounder.

🆕: Saints rundown:- Final prediction for pick 14-After OT, what are team's biggest needs?-Could New Orleans trade up into top 10?-Latest on Ramczyk-Lattimore trade — how would it work?-Which receiver fits at 45?-Morehttps://t.co/yBGTyIG3X5— NOF (@nofnetwork) April 23, 2024

SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN

2023: OL Nick Saldiveri, fourth round (103). Traded fourth-rounder (115) and fifth-rounder (165).

2023: QB Jake Haener, fourth round (127). Traded seventh-rounder (227) and 2024 fourth-rounder.

2023: WR A.T. Perry, sixth round (195). Traded seventh-rounder (257) and TE Adam Trautman.

2021: OT Landon Young, sixth round (206). Traded sixth-rounder (218) and seventh-rounder (229).

2015: CB Damian Swann, fifth round (167). Traded sixth-rounder (187) and 2016 sixth-rounder.

2013: DT John Jenkins, third round (82). Traded two fourth-rounders (106 and 109).

2011: RB Mark Ingram II, first round (28). Traded second-rounder (56) and 2012 first-rounder.

2008: DT Sedrick Ellis, first round (7). Traded first-rounder (10) and third-rounder (78) for Ellis and fifth-rounder (164).

2008: DL DeMario Pressley, fifth round (144). Traded fifth-rounder (146) and seventh-rounder (218).

2008: WR Adrian Arrington, seventh round (237). Traded 2009 sixth-rounder.

MORE INSIGHT FROM LOOMIS

Loomis gave some clues as to whether the Saints might move up or down this week:

When asked if he likes the choices he expects to be available at No. 14, Loomis quickly gave a firm, “Yes. I do. I think we’re gonna get a really good player.”

When asked if he tries to identify the best places to make a trade before the draft, Loomis said he and his staff will typically spend this week researching what it will take to move up or down, usually about 10 spots in either direction. He does that by studying past trades and making phone calls with fellow GMs. But when giving a specific example with this year’s 14th pick, Loomis suggested he would probably cut off the “trade-up” research at about No. 8, and he referenced going back to 20 when he talked about trading down. So the targeted research range sounds more like six picks in either direction.

Loomis essentially confirmed the obvious: that the Saints’ four picks in Round 5 will be burning a hole in his pocket while he sits without any picks in Rounds 3 or 4. Loomis said the Saints won’t look seriously into the idea of trading into Rounds 3 or 4 until their first two picks have passed. He also said it will depend on whether there's a certain player they want. He did mention, “When you have four fifths, that (allows) us to take a couple of those and bump it up.”

Saints GM Mickey Loomis answered that yes he feels confident CB Marshon Lattimore will be on the roster this year.But when followed up, he acknowledged he was just trying to avoid the question with a generic answer and never wants to get into any specific what-ifs.— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) April 23, 2024