The New Orleans Saints traded up again in the 2019 NFL Draft, sending their fourth round pick (No. 116) and their fifth round pick (No. 168) to the New York Jets in exchange for No. 105. They then picked Florida Gators defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
Gardner-Johnson will immediately make an impact on special teams, where he began his Gators career. But his ability to make plays all over the field while defending passes from the slot (intercepting nine passes in his three-year tenure) and mix it up near the line of scrimmage (dropping 15.5 tackles for loss of yards) could make it tough for the Saints to keep him off the field.
The choice to move up for a safety who may not start yet shows how the Saints value last year’s rookie receivers Tre’Quan Smith and Keith Kirkwood, and expect big growth from them moving forward.
