Patriots trade 28th pick of draft to Saints

The New England Patriots have traded the 28th pick of the NFL draft to the New Orleans Saints for the 56th choice this year and a first-rounder next year.

The trade was hardly surprising since coach Bill Belichick made seven trades during the draft in each of the past two years. Earlier on Thursday night, the Patriots drafted offensive tackle Nate Solder of Colorado with the 17th pick.

They now have three choices in the second round and another two in the third. Those rounds are scheduled for Friday night with the last four rounds set for Saturday.