Welcome to the Saints Insider newsletter for Friday, April 29, 2022, a.k.a. the aftermath of the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft! The Saints came into the night with two first round picks at No. 16 and 19, with two clear needs: wide receiver and offensive tackle. All the speculation leading up to the draft from our beat reporters, Amie Just and Luke Johnson, and our columnist Jeff Duncan and Rod Walker suspected the Saints would go those two directions, and they did. Their first splash move of the night was trading up from No. 16 to No. 11 with the Washington Commanders, while giving up their third and fourth round picks. But in the end, they got their guy, Ohio State wideout Chris Olave. As Amie Just writes, the Saints were ecstatic to select him 11th overall. Their next pick was eight picks later, and this time, they checked off their other box: Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning became the Saints second 1st round pick. Penning was a standout offensive tackle at the FCS level, and a player the Saints were 'holding their breath' about, Luke Johnson writes. Looking to learn more about these two players? Our Patrick Magee wrote five things to know about Chris Olave and 5 things to know about Trevor Penning shortly after both were selected by the Saints in the first round. Once all the dust settled on an otherwise mysterious night, columnist Jeff Duncan put a bow on the first round by stressing the importance of this draft, citing the last time the Saints had two first round picks in the 2017 draft. On paper, at least, it seems as if the Saints nailed what they wanted to accomplish so far in the draft. As the Saints prepare for Day 2 of the Draft, where they'll pick at No. 49 overall (for now), a familiar face to Saints fans will be announcing the pick. You won't want to miss it. And finally, the Saints got a key receiver and returner re-signed on a second round tender before Draft night one concluded, Amie Just writes. There's plenty more Saints coverage coming on day two of the draft, including two of our betting members, Zach Ewing and Jim Derry live from Las Vegas at the draft. You can see their reactions to the Saints first round picks here. Enjoy your Friday and Who Dat! Cheers, Devin Jackson |