For the 17th time in the past 13 years, the Saints traded up in the NFL Draft. They made their latest move in the 4th round on Saturday, trading with the New York Jets to move up and select safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from Florida.
Gardner-Johnson was one of the highest-rated players remaining as the third day of the draft began. Many experts had him rated as a second round pick, some even a late-first. One of those analysts was WWL's Mike Detillier, who had Gardner-Johnson as his second-rated safety in the entire draft.
"He's a hybrid guy, he's a free safety, strong safety," Detillier said about Gardner-Johnson's versatility. "You can move him up to linebacker. Who does that remind you of? Kenny Vaccaro."
Former Saints offensive lineman, and current radio voice of the Saints, Zach Strief also believed the incoming rookie's ability to play multiple positions will help him fit in well with the Saints.
"You talk about versatility, the reality of the defensive back position is it's become more valuable than ever."
The Saints traded their 4th and 5th round picks in this year's draft to the Jets to move up and select Gardner-Johnson. The Saints now have one sixth and two seventh round picks remaining in the draft.
Another way Gardner-Johnson may fit in with this team doesn't have anything to do with his football skills. He was known as one of the biggest on-field trash talkers in the SEC the past couple of seasons. Strief thinks the Saints like that type of attitude in their players.
"Coach Payton is not against a trash talker. You know he's a trash talker. There's a point where that stops and there's a way to do that and not do it," Strief explained. "i think one of the things they're going to look for going forward on this defense are those alpha dogs."
Gardner-Johnson becomes the first safety the Saints have drafted since they selected Marcus Williams in the second round of the 2017 draft.