The Saints Have Dealt Former 1st Round Pick Stephone Anthony To The Miami Dolphins For A 5th Round Pick

Compensation update: Miami is sending a 5th-round pick in 2018 to New Orleans in exchange for LB Stephone Anthony, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2017

First-round pick from 2015 turns into fifth-rounder in 2018. https://t.co/r3xQzOslSR

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) September 20, 2017

So, there it is. The 1st round pick - that was attained via the trade of their former All-World tight end - has officially been flipped for a future 5th round pick. The player who went from a promising prospect in his rookie season to a damn near unplayable liability in even the most piss poor of defenses one year later officially has a new home, and I'm a little concerned with my initial reaction to the deal.

If you ignore how high Stephone Anthony was selected then getting anything of note for a guy that probably only claimed one of the last couple of spots on this year's roster so that the organization  could potentially trick another team into taking the bait on his unfounded potential has to be considered a steal. A draft pick becomes a sunk cost once you make it, so it makes no sense to keep inflating that price by dumping time and effort into an investment that you've yet to get a legitimate return on. The fact of the matter is that the former Clemson linebacker has been given more than enough opportunities to prove himself, and with those opportunities he proved that he's not any better than the collection of mid-round picks, lost-cost veterans, and former backups in front of him. In the sense that a known player that likely should have gotten cut retrieved the unknown that is a future player, you have to love what the Saints did here. 

On the other hand, it should probably make fans a bit squeamish that this is low the bar has been set by the current regime. Like, as far as getting bang for their buck, turning a former 1st round pick into a future 5th round pick is sadly one of the beneficial trades they've made of late. I guess what I am trying to say is that the fact that they managed to get an asset for Stephone Anthony shouldn't make you feel any better about how laughably they managed the asset that they used on Stephone Anthony. I don't care how much you love Max Unger, because this move is basically an admission that the Jimmy Graham trade - like so many before it (Kenny Stills, Darren Sproles) - was an abject failure that officially did less than nothing to fix a dog shit defense. 

But hey, with the way that defensive players like Malcolm Jenkins and Akiem Hicks have prospered following their departure from New Orleans, I should probably count my lucky stars hoping that Stephone Anthony doesn't develop into the second coming of Zach Thomas on Miami's watch. Sadly,  that would have to be considered a win with often the Saints have ended up on the losing end of personnel decisions. 

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