New Orleans sent the 99th pick to Philadelphia for veteran…
New Orleans sent the 99th pick to Philadelphia for veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas and No. 108, then used that fourth-round selection on guard Jahri Evans. Thomas became an immediate defensive-line contributor, while Evans started every game as a rookie and grew into a six-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro and Super Bowl XLIV champion. Philadelphia selected Max Jean-Gilles at No. 99, producing nowhere near the same value.
New Orleans Saints Received
- player Hollis Thomas
- pick 2006 4th round pick (108th overall, Jahri Evans)
Philadelphia Eagles Received
- pick 2006 4th round pick (99th overall, Max Jean-Gilles)
Trade Analysis
On the second day of the 2006 draft, New Orleans sent the 99th selection to Philadelphia for defensive tackle Hollis Thomas and the 108th pick. The move looked modest at the time: the Eagles climbed nine spots in Round 4, while the Saints added a veteran lineman and moved down. What happened with No. 108 transformed the transaction into one of the best value plays in Saints draft history.
New Orleans selected Bloomsburg guard Jahri Evans. He won a starting job immediately and did not miss a start for years, becoming a foundation of the offensive line protecting Drew Brees. Evans earned six consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2009 through 2014 and four straight first-team All-Pro honors from 2009 through 2012. He started throughout the 2009 championship season and helped power an offense that consistently ranked among the NFL's best. By the end of his Saints career, Evans had started 169 regular-season games for the franchise and had established himself as one of the premier guards of his era.
Thomas added meaningful value of his own. The veteran defensive tackle started 30 games for New Orleans over three seasons and gave the rebuilt 2006 defense immediate experience in the middle. Even if the trade had included only the swap from No. 99 to No. 108, landing Evans would have made New Orleans the winner; adding a useful veteran made the return even stronger.
Philadelphia selected guard Max Jean-Gilles at No. 99. Jean-Gilles spent several seasons with the Eagles and made spot starts, so the pick was not a total loss. He never became a high-level long-term starter, however, and his contribution was dramatically smaller than Evans's. The Eagles' decision to move up nine spots is especially painful in hindsight because the future star was still available at the pick they surrendered.
New Orleans earns an A-plus for acquiring a productive veteran and a franchise-level offensive lineman in exchange for a modest move down. Philadelphia receives a D rather than an F because Jean-Gilles did provide usable depth, but the value gap is enormous. This is a decisive Saints win.