Saints Rumors: New Orleans Looking to Trade Up or Back in 2022 NFL Draft 1st Round

The New Orleans Saints have already acquired an additional first-round draft pick in the 2022 NFL draft, but they might not be done dealing. 

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Saints have been making calls this week to see about possibly moving up or down in the first round on Thursday night. 

Albert Breer of the MMQB added:

The Saints pulled off a surprise move on April 4 when they acquired the Nos. 16 and 19 along with a sixth-rounder from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for five picks, including No. 18 this year and a 2023 first-rounder. 

In other words, the Saints paid a steep price to essentially leapfrog the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 17. 

That trade could be a prelude to another trade that would allow the Saints to move up in the first round, possibly to select a quarterback. 

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told reporters on Wednesday that they made the deal with Philadelphia "to get another good player a year ahead of time for a value that we like."

New Orleans did re-sign quarterback Jameis Winston, who is coming off a torn ACL suffered in Week 8 last season, to a two-year contract. He helped the team get off to a 5-2 start and had 14 touchdowns and only hree interceptions prior to his injury. 

ESPN's Todd McShay projects the Saints to select Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave and Georgia defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt with their first-round picks as things stand right now. 

This is also the first year for the Saints under new head coach Dennis Allen. They hired him to to replace Sean Payton, who stepped down at the end of last season. 

Loomis and Allen still have a quality roster to work with, but they have started to see some turnover in recent years due to the organization needing to restructure deals to get under the salary cap. 

Making a splash in the draft would certainly help the Saints in their quest to get back to the postseason after finishing 9-8 in 2021.