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From James Alder,
Your Guide to Football.
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Saints-Falcons Trade Indication of Draft Intentions?
On Thursday, the New Orleans Saints traded offensive tackle Wayne Gandy to the Atlanta Falcons for safety Bryan Scott and a conditional future draft pick. On the surface, the move seems to further cement the likelihood that the Saints will select Virginia tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson in the draft later this month, trade down, or maybe both. But that might not necessarily be the case.
They could move last year's first-round draft pick, Jamaal Brown, from the right side to the left, and plug in Jon Stinchcomb on the right side. Or they could look for an offensive tackle like Auburn's Marcus McNeil with their pick in the second round. Either way, the Saints have options.

There has been some speculation that they are targeting North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, and there could be some truth to the rumor, but I'm skeptical. They already have talented players at both ends in Will Smith and Charles Grant. The team could just be sending out smoke signals in the hopes someone will trade up for either Williams, USC QB Matt Leinart, or Texas QB Vince Young. A trade with the Jets could mean picking up a late first-round pick and they would likely still end up with Ferguson on the board when they use the Jets' pick at No. 4.

And don't completely discount the possibility that the Saints could take Leinart at No. 2 despite having landed Drew Brees through free agency. Brees' contract includes a $12 million bonus due after the 2006 season, which means he could be looking for a new home for the 2007 season. So it all depends on how the front office views Brees. Is he a stop-gap/mentor or a long-term solution?

Either way, the Saints certainly continue to muck up the picture at the top of the draft.

Thursday April 6, 2006 | permalink | comments (0) | add to del.icio.us
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