The New Orleans Saints set fire to every single mock draft back in 2018 when they reached an agreement with the Green Bay Packers, trading up the board to select pass rusher Marcus Davenport. The Packers used the last of the draft picks received from the Saints in the 2019 NFL Draft, working out a few other deals along the way. Here’s the full breakdown of which prospect each of those picks turned into.
The initial deal was very clean. The Saints got pick No. 14 in 2018; the Packers got selections No. 27 and No. 147 in 2018, and a first-round pick in 2019 (No. 30, it turned out). But then things got tricky.
First, the Packers traded with the Seattle Seahawks to move up from No. 27 to No. 18, drafting cornerback Jaire Alexander. Alexander appeared in 13 games (11 starts) and recorded 11 pass breakups, along with two fumble recoveries and an interception. Green Bay also shipped some late-round assets as part of the deal, which the Seahawks swapped for their seventh-round pick (No. 248). That last pick turned into linebacker Kendall Donnerson, who spent most of the year on the practice squad.
Next, the Packers reached a deal with the Carolina Panthers to send their fourth- and fifth-round picks (No. 101 and the selection they received from the Saints, No. 147) to move up again and add linebacker Oren Burks. Burks appeared in 14 games with four starts as a rookie.
Finally, the 2019 draft rolled around. And the Packers reached another deal to move up, again with the Seahawks. Green Bay packaged the first-round pick it got from the Saints (No. 30) with some other picks to jump up to No. 21 and select safety Darnell Savage. Savage projects to start in the secondary alongside Alexander.
It’s impressive what the Packers managed to do with just a few assets received from New Orleans, and their aggressiveness in trading multiple times with several other teams. Here’s what it all turned into:
Saints received
- 2018 pick No. 14: DE Marcus Davenport. Including the playoffs, Davenport appeared in 15 games as a backup, bagging 4.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits along with a forced fumble. An October turf toe injury derailed his progress and required surgery once the season was over.
Packers received
- 2018 pick No. 18: CB Jaire Alexander
- 2018 pick No. 88: LB Oren Burks
- 2018 pick No. 248: LB Kendall Donnerson
- 2019 pick No. 21: FS Darnell Savage
Now that you’ve seen it all laid out like that, with the prospects added in each pick, let’s say that we’re allowed a do-over. Using the luxury of hindsight, would you still make the same trade that brought Marcus Davenport to New Orleans?
