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Rendered expendable by the Philadelphia Eagles' selection of Brodrick Bunkley in the first round, veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas, who has been attempting to force a trade for two years, was dealt to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday morning.

Hollis Thomas

Defensive Tackle Philadelphia Eagles Profile

2005 SEASON STATISTICS Tot Ast Solo FF Sack Int 35 27 8 0 0 0

The swap was part of a deal in which the two teams exchanged fourth-round selections. The Eagles moved up to the second slot in the round to snatch University of Georgia guard Max Jean-Gilles, one of the top overall prospects still on the board at the outset of the second day of the draft.

Later on Sunday, the Eagles traded four-year veteran guard Artis Hicks to the Minnesota Vikings for a swap of fourth-round choices and an additional sixth-round pick. Hicks was made expendable by the acquisition of Jean-Gilles earlier in the fourth round.

The addition of the massive Jean-Gilles, coupled with Philadelphia's choice of Southern California tackle Winston Justice in the second round, gives the Eagles a pair of talented young linemen to develop for the future. Both players should start for Philadelphia within the next few years.

Eagles personnel staffers and coaches determined at the end of the first day of the draft that Jean-Gilles, a powerful in-line blocker, was a player they coveted in the fourth round, and opted to become proactive in landing him. By dangling Thomas as trade bait, they were able to move up in the round to grab him.

Thomas, 32, has been unhappy with his situation in Philadelphia for two years and has publicly lobbied for a trade.

"This gives me a fresh start," Thomas said. "I know they expect me to come in and make plays, or they wouldn't have brought me in. I feel like they feel like I'm a play maker. I'll try to be a leader by example."

For the Saints, the trade was the second in two days in which New Orleans acquired a veteran interior lineman. The Saints acquired former first-round center Jeff Faine from the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.

Although he appeared in all 16 games in 2005, and started in 12 of them, Thomas has seen his overall playing time reduced because of the depth the Eagles possess at tackle. The Eagles chose tackle Mike Patterson in the first round in 2005 and then took Bunkley on Saturday. The depth chart also includes solid veterans in Sam Rayburn and Darwin Walker, and Philadelphia recently signed longtime veteran Ed Jasper as a free agent.

In New Orleans, Thomas, a 10-year veteran, will add depth to an interior rotation that includes Johnathan Sullivan, Brian Young and Willie Whitehead. At one point earlier in his career, Thomas was regarded as one of the NFL's best inside run stuffers. He isn't as good now, but is still very effective.

Even last season, in a diminished role, Thomas had 65 tackles.

Notable is that Thomas is entering the final year of his contract with a base salary of just $710,000. It was not immediately known if the Saints have offered an extension.

A former Northern Illinois standout, Thomas entered the league when the Eagles signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He has 361 tackles, 13½ sacks, eight forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 10 pass deflections for his career. Thomas has played in 126 games with 95 starts.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.