Michael Hoomanawanui traded to Saints for DE Akiem Hicks

The Patriots traded little-used tight end Michael Hoomanawanui to the New Orleans Saints for third-year veteran Akiem Hicks.

Hicks was a third-round draft pick by the Saints in 2012 and has been a starter all three years he's played in the NFL. He hasn't recorded a tackle yet this season.

The #Patriots received DE Akiem Hicks from the #Saints in exchange for TE Michael Hoomanawanui, source said.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 30, 2015

The Hoo-Man, as he's known around New England, had been with the team since 2012 and only played in two games this season leading up to the trade.

Experts seem to like this trade for the Patriots due to Hicks' potential.

Per ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss:

Hicks, who is 6-foot-5, 324 pounds, is a fourth-year player out of Regina (Canada). He has appeared in 47 career regular-season games, with 33 starts. He started the first three games for the Saints this season.

The move is a bit surprising on the Saints' end, because Hicks, 25, has been a starter for the past three years and showed so much potential early in his career. He also appeared to have a strong training camp this summer after he said he shed 20 pounds.

With Rob Gronkowski, Scott Chandler and Michael Williams stacking the tight end position, Hoomanawanui became expendable.

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