Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox went through each NFL team's trades in the past decade in an attempt to see how bad some trades can get. For the New Orleans Saints, he chose the various trades made to acquire Chris Olave and Trevor Penning in the 2022 draft.
At first, this didn't necessarily make much sense. I figured that the Jimmy Graham trade back in 2015 might be the one to make the list. But I then refreshed my memory on what the Saints gave up for the two players, and it all made sense.
Saints gave up a lot to get Chris Olave and Trevor Penning
To get Olave, the Saints had to make two separate trades. General Manager Mickey Loomis first traded the 18th overall selection, second and third round selections, a 2023 first rounder, and a 2024 second rounder for the 16th and 19th overall selections. Loomis then trades a third-round and fourth-round pick to move up from 16 to 11.
When asked why they made the moves to acquire Olave, Loomis responded that the WR was simply their guy. "We are under the philosophy that you find somebody you love and you go get them," Loomis said. "and that's what we did here."
Since then, Chris Olave has proven himself worthy of those trades, becoming the Saints' number one receiver and showing the ability to reach 1,000 yards when healthy. He is actively a part of the team's offensive game plan.
Olave has validated the trade, Penning has not
The trades have proven to be worth it, at least with Olave. However, it would be the newly acquired 19th overall pick that puts the trades in the category of "bad." With that selection, New Orleans would take Trevor Penning, a left tackle out of Northern Iowa. The team hoped he would eventually be able to fill the hole that Terron Armstead left.
That has not been the case. Penning has switched positions, never seeming totally comfortable with his role on the field. There was also that weird situation in 2023, where he was effectively benched after six games and never saw the field afterwards.
A move to guard is a last ditch effort for Penning under Kellen Moore. The Saints drafting left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. back in April and tackle Tailese Fuaga back in 2024 pushed the former first round pick into a position change in back to back years.
Fortunately, he expresses excitement for his new role this year as the team's left guard. "The things that I do well, I think, fit better at guard, not to say that I can't play tackle," Penning said to reporters. "In the run game, especially at guard, I think the things that I do well will really help me shine at guard."