The Saints appear on the cusp of offering a host of premium assets to land a trade for Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson, and that chest of assets got a bit heavier.
The Saints have landed a pair of compensatory selections, announced by the NFL Tuesday afternoon. Those picks will come in the third round at selections 98 and 101.
The picks were awarded as compensation for the departure of Trey Hendrickson, who signed a 4-year, $60 million deal with the Bengals last offseason, with the other the second that was in line to be awarded for the departure of Terry Fontenot, hired last season as the Atlanta Falcons GM.
Here's where the Saints' haul of picks stands as of Tuesday afternoon:
- 1st round, No. 18
- 2nd round, No. 49 overall
- 3rd round: No. 98 overall (Trey Hendrickson)
- 3rd round: No. 101 overall (Terry Fontenot)
- 4th round: No. 120 overall
- 5th round: No. 161 overall
- 7th round: No. 237 overall
Those picks don't come as a surprise, but gain added importance with the stated asking price for Watson coming in at multiple first- and second-round selections -- along with other players -- presumably including at least one or both of this year's top-two picks.
The third round has also been mined by the Saints regularly for star players, including star running back Alvin Kamara, LT Terron Armstead, Hendrickson in 2017, and going back further, the third round is where the Saints selected former star TE Jimmy Graham and DT Akiem Hicks.
The Saints' selections could look much different once the dust settles in the Watson trade, news of which is expected to come Wednesday. The Saints are one of multiple teams who are said to be at the top of the pecking order in the trade market, having met with Winston and with an offer on the table. They could also be in line for another compensatory selection next season, with safety Marcus Williams reportedly agreeing a 5-year, $70 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens earlier Tuesday.
