Rashid Shaheed was a fan favorite, but his trade to the Seattle Seahawks was a necessary evil. The trade looks even better after Kellen Moore picked up every available wide receiver in the draft to supplant the loss of Shaheed and give Tyler Shough some much needed help. On top of that, the New Orleans Saints made best use of the draft picks they received from the Seahawks.
The Saints turned picks 132 and 172 into Jeremiah Wright and Lorenzo Styles Jr. Styles is the more splashy player as far as name recognition, but it's Wright who has the clearer path to being a key contributor. Styles' 4.27 speed and experience playing special teams at Ohio State give him a chance at being an excellent gunner in punt coverage. It's an unheralded but invaluable position.
Wright has a chance to be a Day 1 starter. The Saints had their eyes on him throughout the pre-draft process and pounced on him in the fourth round. Cesar Ruiz's days in New Orleans already felt numbered, and now the Saints have his successor in the building.
Rashid Shaheed trade is the epitome of a win-win for Saints and Seahawks
You won't find a Seahawks fan that regrets sending a fourth and fifth round pick to New Orleans to get Shaheed in return. He was one of the premier players from their Super Bowl run. Despite not being extremely active in passing game, Shaheed's short time in Seattle was highlighted by impact plays on special teams.
The Seahawks were clearly happy enough with Shaheed's contributions to bring him back on a new contract. A Super Bowl run and new contract would seemingly make Seattle the obvious winners of this deal, right?
Here's the thing, though. The Saints were never going to re-sign Shaheed, and they weren't winning a Super Bowl with him either. The Saints needed to deal a player they weren't resigning in hopes of receiving some sort of return on investment. Mission accomplished but how they capitalized on their ROI would really determine the success of the trade.
The Saints turned those picks into what figures to be their next starting guard and a prospect who has great special teamer written all over him. That's pretty good for a pair of mid round picks.
Ultimately, the final verdict won't be known until the Saints see how Wright and Styles pan out. If we're judging based off realistic vision and projections for each prospect, however, the Saints turned the picks from Seattle into something valuable. If Jeremiah Wright becomes a starter and earns a second contract with New Orleans, this trade will be a success.
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