Saints trade up to top of 4th round, draft Old Dominion OL Nick Saldivieri

The New Orleans Saints had gone two days of the 2023 NFL Draft without making their go-to move – trading up.

The front office wasted no time Saturday returning to form.

New Orleans traded with Chicago to make the first pick of the final day of the draft. The Bears received picks in the fourth round (#115) and fifth round (#165) in the deal.

The Bears trade: Pick 103

The Saints trade: Pick 115, 165

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 29, 2023

The Saints selected Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri with the 103rd pick:

Nick Saldiveri
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Height: 6-6
Weight: 311 lbs
College: Old Dominion
Saldiveri, a 6-foot-6, 318-pounder was a three-year starter at right tackle for Old Dominion and a two-time all-conference selection. Saldiveri started 35 career games, including 34 at right tackle and one in 2022 at right guard. Saldiveri became the third player in ODU history to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the sixth player to compete at the NFL Scouting Combine. He was the first ODU offensive lineman to participate in both the Senior Bowl and the Combine.

Nick Saldiveri is a OT prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.47 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 69 out of 1287 OT from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/UPxrp85KHR #RAS pic.twitter.com/pZ5gmT5pab

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 5, 2023

The three-year college starter has played mostly as a right tackle but showed his versatility to play guard and center at this year’s Senior Bowl.