Sat, Mar 11, 2017 at 8:10pm

PATS LAND WIDEOUT BRANDIN COOKS

The New England Patriots acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round draft pick in 2017 from the New Orleans Saints for a first-round draft pick in 2017 and a third-round draft pick in 2017.

What does it give the New England Patriots
This is a classic case of the rich getting richer. The Super Bowl champs add one of the top young receivers in the NFL in the 23-year-old Cooks, a versatile wideout who can lineup inside and out. The Patriots have a plethora of inside receivers, whether it be tight ends or wide receivers, but lacked a true game-changing receiver on the outside. With Cooks, they have that now. Good luck stopping Tom Brady and co. in 2017! This is a tremendous addition for the Pats.

What does it give the New Orleans Saints
For the Saints, this deal makes some sense because of their renewed commitment to improving their defense. New Orleans already had two capable wide receivers aside from Cooks (in Michael Thomas and Willie Snead), and recently added veteran Ted Ginn Jr. to serve as the team's main deep threat. Ginn's arrival is what likely led to the Cooks trade from a Saints perspective. Expect New Orleans to pick defensive players early and often in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Fantasy impact
Cooks already had amazing fantasy value, catching passes from future HOFer Drew Brees. Now, he gets to catch balls from future HOFer Tom Brady. With back-to-back seasons of 1,100-plus yards, Cooks should only get better in New England. Scary. This trade also helps the fantasy value of Ginn, Thomas and Snead, while hurting the value of Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola in New England.