Saints projected to receive three comp picks in 2022 NFL draft

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The New Orleans Saints are one of ten teams projected to earn multiple compensatory draft picks in 2022’s NFL draft in Las Vegas, per Over The Cap’s Nick Korte, though his chart doesn’t include comp picks received as part of the league’s recent incentivized minority hiring program.

New Orleans has already locked in a 2022 third rounder following the loss of Terry Fontenot, their pro personnel director who left for the open Atlanta Falcons general manager position. Teams that lose minority candidates to executive roles with other teams receive two third-round picks in subsequent draft cycles.

So that’s in addition to the comp picks Korte projects the Saints to recoup after losing defensive linemen Trey Hendrickson and Sheldon Rankins to the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets, respectively. At this early stage, the Saints are expected to receive a fourth rounder for Hendrickson and a sixth rounder for Rankins.

However, that could change. Korte adds that Hendrickson is one of six players whose comp pick could upgrade to a third rounder if he logs enough playing time in New York; that seems likely after he broke out last year, quickly surpassing his career snaps percentage of 32.8% (he played 53.4% of snaps in 2020). We’ll know for sure once the NFL announces comp picks next spring.

In the meantime, here are where the Saints are slotted in the 2022 NFL draft (not including the sixth rounder forfeited for COVID-19 protocols violations last season):

Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 3 (compensation for Fontenot)
Round 4
Round 4 (compensation for Hendrickson)
Round 5
Round 6 (compensation for Rankins)
Round 7

We already have better ammo for the 2022 draft than we did for the 2021 draft. I'm glad we mostly stayed put in the draft & didn't trade away 2022 picks.