The New England Patriots have the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft as of now, but depending on how the top three shake out, that may not last long. Given the huge drop-off in prospect evaluations after Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter, the Patriots would be well-inclined to trade down and recoup value

However, that would also require a team to trade up. Shedeur Sanders, the consensus second-best quarterback in this year’s draft class, would likely be the target of a trade up.

That is exactly what ESPN’s Mina Kimes proposes on the latest episode of her podcast, in which she does a mock draft collaboration with The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

In the mock draft exercise, Kimes proposes the trade, from the New Orleans Saints, the ninth overall pick, a second-round pick, a third-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick.

Brugler, from the Patriots’ perspective, accepted the trade, allowing the Patriots to select between Armand Membou and Tyler Warren. Brugler decided to take the offensive lineman Membou, who is a bigger need for the team than the tight end.

Patriots fans would likely be happy with this scenario, despite the typical negative connotation that comes with a trade down. Ideally, the team would want Travis Hunter, but selecting the best offensive lineman on the board, whether at pick four or at pick nine, is the next best scenario.

With the number of good players left on the board at number nine, such as Warren, a trade-down could turn out to be the right move come draft night.

For the Saints, they take Shedeur Sanders to be their quarterback of the future in this scenario. While the trade itself feels pretty fair, it is also interesting to think about why the Saints would do this.

It seems possible, even likely, at this point Sanders would be available at number nine, but it is also possible a team has the same thought and trades up ahead of the Saints. A team like the Steelers would be a potential team to do so.

It is also still possible the Las Vegas Raiders at pick six or the New York Jets at pick seven select Sanders. Both teams could use a quarterback, but at least made an attempt to address the position.

This whole scenario becomes moot if Sanders were to go to the Cleveland Browns or New York Giants in the top three, something that also seems very possible at this point.

As the NFL draft draws closer, it seems the fate of Shedeur Sanders will have a huge impact on what the Patriots decide to do on draft night.