With the Saints locked away in a room and the likes of Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis, and lesser team officials pondering their dream scenario Saturday, I can’t help but think trading down is a popular choice amongst them. As much as I’ve been lobbying for Malcolm Jenkins to be picked at the 14th slot, there are no guarantees he will be available. Some mock drafts have the 49ers taking Jenkins at 10, while others have the Packers taking him as high as 9. While the vast majority of mock drafts out there still have the Saints taking Jenkins at 14, another trendy prediction is that the Saints will bypass an available Malcolm Jenkins in favor of his former Buckeye teammate: running back Chris “Beanie” Wells. If the Saints draft Wells over Jenkins, then they’ve learned NOTHING from their shortcomings the past two seasons. Please, Saints, do not give this silly prognostication any validity.
One thing the sea of mock drafts you’ll run into do not offer: possible trade scenarios. The mock drafts are a crapshoot as is, but guessing who will move out of what spot is impossible. With only 4 total picks overall and only one on the first day, though, the Saints are the most likely of candidates and we can’t ignore it. Hopefully the Saints believe Jenkins, if available, is just too good to pass up. They may not, though, and my gut tells me they’ll trade down without question if he’s not there. Another theory is that they might believe they can still land Jenkins further down in the draft and take the risk for extra picks. The bottom line is the Saints currently have 4 picks and it would be foolish to think they’ll end the draft with only 4 new players. You’ll also read that the Saints have no ammunition to move up in the draft; that is not true. It’s very trendy to trade picks in the following year’s draft in order to move up in the current draft, and the Saints have a full stock of picks in 2010.
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