Mickey Loomis doesn’t regret 2022 draft trade, remains high on Chris Olave and Trevor Penning
Look, the New Orleans Saints didn’t quite see this one coming. After a tough season, the New Orleans Saints didn’t anticipate that the 2023 first round draft pick would be the Philadelphia Eagles’ tenth overall selection. They didn’t want to look back at a disappointing season and expected to be playing meaningful football in January.
But Saints general manager Mickey Loomis wants it known that he doesn’t regret the decision to send that pick off as part of a blockbuster trade. He pushed back on the narrative that the Saints don’t have a first rounder during his end-of-season press conference; he views wide receiver Chris Olave and left tackle Trevor Penning through the same lens as he’d evaluate a draft prospect taken with this year’s first-round pick, considering New Orleans wouldn’t have gotten either of them without making that deal with Philadelphia.
“It’s a little misleading, I think, to say we don’t have a number one (draft pick in 2023). We traded that, and we had two number one’s this year (in 2022). I’m really happy with those two guys,” Loomis said Friday, “Not happy that Trevor was injured and that slowed his progress, but I think we’re really excited about Trevor and Chris as being part of our team. … I liked what we did, I liked the players we ended up with in this last draft, and today I wouldn’t change that.”
Loomis used this logic before, using it to justify Marcus Davenport’s trade in 2018. Or to sell a future draft pick so that the team could add Alvin Kamara in 2017. This logic makes sense to some extent. Loomis acknowledged that it does help to make arithmetic smoother when players are playing and improving.
Olave was one of the most explosive rookies of the 2022 season across the league, Penning’s first year as a pro began and ended with (thankfully unrelated) foot injuries. Surgery was required for a preseason turf toe injury. Lisfranc fracture in the season finale will keep him out of action Summer workouts. Penning performed as expected when he was on the Saints field. He was physically demanding as a run-blocker, sometimes too aggressive for his own good, which led to penalties, and inconsistent in pass protection. More reps are critical to easing his learning curve, so it’s a good thing he’s expected to be ready for training camp at the end of July.
The Saints traded Sean Payton to the Eagles in order to bring a first rounder to New Orleans, after he was ejected from his coaching rights.
“No, I never counted on getting anything for Sean. He might agree to the media deal for five year. We don’t know. So that’s not something,” Loomis paused to consider his words, “I know I have a history of spending cap going forward, but we weren’t spending draft capital going forward anticipating what we might get if he’d decide to coach again.”
Obviously the Saints would rather he get back in the saddle sooner than later and help them reload with draft assets, but Loomis acknowledged that it’s no sure thing Payton accepts one of the jobs being offered to him. This will all unfold over the coming days and weeks. It remains to be seen if the Saints will ultimately reap the benefits.
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