Saints could surprise with third-round deja vue pick

Due to two compensatory picks, the Saints are back in the third round of the upcoming draft. According to multiple analysts, New Orleans could be in the market for another tight end bringing back deja vue of their selection of Adam Trautman in 2020.

One of the best tight ends in the class, Hunter Long from Boston College, could still be available for one of the two Saints’ third-round picks this weekend. If that is the case, then the team needs to pull the trigger and get another third-round tight end.

The team released Jared Cook, one of their main endzone targets, and Josh Hill this offseason leaving Trautman as one of the only viable tight ends on the roster. He finished last season with 15 receptions for 171 yards and one touchdown.

The Saints could bring in another tight end in a surprising third-round pick that will leave fans thinking that it is Deja Vue.

While in college at the University of Dayton, Trautman on the Pioneer League Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-pro honors in 2019.  In the same season, Trautman caught 70 passes for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns.

During Hunter Long’s last season at Boston College in 2020, he caught 57 passes for 685 yards and five touchdowns. While the statistics are less, Long gives off the same college vibes as Trautman when he was at Dayton.

With both of them having very similar body sizes, they could both work together. Obviously, Payton hasn’t had two quality tight ends to work with in a while, but Hunter Long could come in and be Adam Trautman 2.0.

The deja vue third-round pick might be just what the offense needs to give Winston another big, tight-end target. This would be a smart pick by Sean Payton while simultaneously addressing needs on the offensive side of the ball.