In a bit of a head-scratching move, the Broncos sent wideout Devaughn Vele to the Saints for a pair of draft picks in the next two seasons. The surprising part was not that the Broncos chose to move on from Vele after a decent showing as a rookie, but rather the identity of the trade partner.

Vele was drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft by Denver in the seventh round after spending five years in college at Utah. He was mostly inactive in two redshirt years as a freshman, but made an impact as a third-year freshman and followed it up with two above-average seasons as a sophomore and junior. In his three active seasons, Vele chipped in a total of 121 catches for 1,677 yards and nine trips to the endzone. He carried a 13.7 yards per catch (YPC) with him as he declared for the draft after his junior year.

For a seventh-round pick, Vele made his presence felt for the Broncos, even outperforming Bo Nix’s old teammate Troy Franklin, who was drafted three rounds before Vele. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Vele rounded out 2024 having started seven games, accumulating 41/475/3 in the process.

The question then becomes: Why the Saints? They are in the midst of a rebuild and spent a fourth-round pick in 2026 and a seventh-round pick in 2027 on the services of a late-round draft choice who turns 28 in December. On top of that, this is a team that has two wide receivers younger than Vele, a tight end with a new contract, and one of the best pass-catching running backs to play in the league. There is also the question of who will be throwing the ball. Leave it to Sean Payton to fleece his old stomping grounds.

In fantasy, this has little to no effect on New Orleans. Vele is unlikely to cut into the workloads of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Tight end Juwan Johnson and his new three-year deal don’t appear to take a hit either. Vele can remain off the fantasy radar in redraft leagues until Olave gets a headache. For the Broncos, this opens up a showdown at wideout to start the season. Currently, Franklin is penciled in as the third wide receiver but rookie Pat Bryant (third round, 2025) has garnered a heap of praise in camp. Whichever takes the WR3 spot is worth a late-round draft pick this fall, with the other to be left on waivers until there is a change. Deeper-bench or 14-plus-team leagues could see them both drafted.

Author: Sam Schneider (@BuyAndSellYou)