Let's make a deal

Rumors of draft-day trades keep swirling
Posted: Thursday April 24, 2003 1:57 PM
Updated: Thursday April 24, 2003 2:19 PM




Arizona is not as locked in on Suggs as has been commonly believed. He remains a possibility, but the Cardinals are serious about other options, such as Washington State cornerback Marcus Trufant or trading down. The Saints and Cardinals have talked, and New Orleans has a better deal on the table to get up Arizona's No. 6 than they do to trade with No. 7 Minnesota.

The Saints in either case would be moving to land Trufant, unless Newman should somehow linger beyond the top five.

Arizona doesn't seem to have one player it has fallen in love with, and thus can be enticed to move down. That said, head coach Dave McGinnis isn't among those who think Suggs' second slow 40 time has damaged his draft status.

"I don't know where the perception came from that he was a 4.5 guy," McGinnis said Wednesday night. "Nobody was ever saying he was. He's a 4.8 guy, but he plays extremely fast from the line to the quarterback. We've got him evaluated as a football player, not just as a workout guy."

Suggs fills a need for the Cardinals. So does Trufant. So would a receiver, although neither of the big two are expected to be there at No. 6. So a trade into the middle of the rounds -- New Orleans holds No. 17 and 18 -- makes some sense.


As for the Saints, they're talking to the Cardinals, Vikings, Ravens and at least one other top 10 team. Ideally, they want to get up into the top seven and take Trufant or Newman, but they're uncertain whether anyone will pull the trigger on the other end. If Trufant should last until No. 10, a deal with Baltimore could come into play.

New Orleans is more likely to trade up than to sit tight, and is willing to give up both of its first-rounders. The Saints are asking to get something back in the way of a 2004 pick in order to surrender both of this year's No. 1s, but they probably won't be able to extract that unless they get two teams bidding against one another.

No. 12 St. Louis is thought to be eyeing Georgia linebacker Boss Bailey, providing it can't trade up a few notches and get its first choice, Trufant. But if Bailey doesn't go to the Rams, he could tumble all the way to the Saints at No. 17 or 18. Cleveland at No. 21 would be thrilled if Bailey somehow lasted into the round's bottom third.