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Dennis Allen has a saying that perfectly captures the Saints’ philosophy on the type of players they like on their roster.

“It’s a big man’s game.”

There are times when the team will make an exception and go against that philosophy, like last year when the team drafted Chris Olave despite his weight almost certainly falling below the team’s typical minimum requirement for the position. But Olave checked so many boxes that the team knew it was getting a special player despite his less-than-prototypical size.

However, typically the Saints are more willing to sacrifice speed at the position for bigger players who can create mismatches with their size.

So, what are the Saints’ prototypes? The process is actually pretty simple. There is no secret formula — at least not on the most basic level. New Orleans looks at the starters across the league at each position, enters their measurables into a database and uses the league averages to set their marks each year. As the league shifts, so do the team’s prototypes. For instance, the prototype of a cornerback in 2012 was probably someone who stood 5-foot-10 and ran a 4.52 40-yard dash. That position today is closer to 5-foot-11 with 4.44 speed.

A couple of years ago, we identified a statistic called Relative Athletic Score, which takes all of a player’s athletic and physical measurables and assigns a single number as a score, captures everything the Saints look for in their players. And looking back over time, trends emerged. For instance, over the past seven drafts, the Saints’ only first-round picks with a score lower than nine on the RAS scale were Sheldon Rankins and Olave – and we know both were exceptions. Rankins for height; Olave for weight.

For the second year in a row, almost all the picks scored well. Olave (8.64), Trevor Penning (9.95), Alonte Taylor (9.06), D’Marco Jackson (8.29) and Jordan Jackson (9.13) were all on the high end of things. We saw the same thing in 2021, with Payton Turner (9.74), Pete Werner (9.52), Paulson Adebo (9.55), Landon Young (9.18) and Kawaan Baker (9.08) all scoring well. Ian Book (7.37) was the only outlier.

The score of 9.0 is a good cutoff for the first round, but, really, the players the team likes rank above that mark in almost every round. Again, this number just happens to cover what the team likes. Multiple sources within the organization said the team doesn’t use RAS as part of its evaluation methods. So this trend is a coincidence and not a cracking of their methods.

But, using the mark of 9 as a cutoff, we can easily see which prospects among the top 100 or so fit their board. These are those players:

• QB Anthony Richardson — 10 RAS

• CB Deonte Banks — 10

• CB Julius Brents — 9.99

• LB Jack Campbell — 9.98

• CB Christian Gonzalez — 9.95

• DT Keion White — 9.92

• TE Darnell Washington — 9.88

• DE Yaya Diaby — 9.86

• WR Jonathan Mingo — 9.86

• TE Luke Schoonmaker — 9.86

• WR A.T. Perry — 9.85

• LB Trenton Simpson — 9.84

• RB Bijan Robinson — 9.83

• CB Darius Rush — 9.8

• TE Luke Musgrave — 9.77

• CB Joey Porter Jr. — 9.72

• DT Adetomiwa Adebawore — 9.72

• CB Cam Smith — 9.67

• TE Tucker Kraft — 9.67

• OT Darnell Wright — 9.67

• DE Will McDonald IV — 9.66

• CB Cory Rice — 9.66

• DT Bryan Bresee — 9.61

• DE Isaiah Foskey — 9.6

• DT Calijah Kancey — 9.6

• OT Broderick Jones — 9.58

• DE Isaiah McGuire — 9.53

• DT Gervon Dexter — 9.52

• OT Tyler Steen — 9.46

• DE Derick Hall — 9.4

• WR Marvin Mims Jr. — 9.39

• DE Lukas Van Ness — 9.39

• OT Cody Mauch – 9.33

• OT Peter Skoronski – 9.3

• DE Nolan Smith – 9.24

• CB Emmanuel Forbes – 9.23

• DE Byron Young — 9.23

• DT Zacch Pickens — 9.21

• TE Brenton Strange — 9.07

• TE Sam LaPorta — 9.02

If media rankings are to be trusted and this trend holds, the Saints’ first two picks are likely to be among the following players: Richardson, Banks, Campbell, Gonzalez, White, Washington, Simpson, Robinson, Musgrave, Porter Jr., Kraft, Wright, McDonald, Bresee, Foskey, Kancey, Jones, Dexter, Hall, Van Ness, Mauch, Skoronski, Smith and Forbes.

(Remember, there are players who have not tested and don't have RAS scores who could figure into the mix, as well.)

Now, let’s see if we can narrow that down even further. I calculated, to the best of my ability, what I believe to be the team’s general prototype at each position. These numbers could very easily be different from how the team does it, but I used different categories for 4-3 defenses vs. 3-4 defenses, and looked at wide receivers as a single position instead of breaking up for the various spots since teams use players differently. Here's what I found:

Quarterback

Projected prototype: 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, 4.84 speed

Richardson is the only player in the top 100 prospects who fits the RAS bill, and he also fits prototype across the board. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis also fits prototype, but he hasn’t worked out yet due to injuries. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker would also almost certainly be within the minimum requirement, even though he weighed in at 217 pounds, since the team sets the threshold slightly below the league average. Neither player has a RAS score since they haven’t worked out, which is why they weren’t included on the above list.

Running back

Projected prototype: 5-foot-11, 219 pounds, 4.53 speed

Robinson (215 pounds) is a little light but within range. UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet, Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs, Auburn’s Tank Bigsby, Georgia’s Kenny McIntosh, Texas A&M’s Devon Achane and Tulane’s Tyjae Spears didn’t hit the RAS threshold.

Charbonnet finished with an 8.7 RAS score due to testing poorly in agility drills but meets the mark on the other prototype categories. The other backs miss it on measurables. Gibbs (5-foot-9, 199 pounds), Achane (5-foot-8, 188 pounds) and Spears (5-foot-9, 201 pounds) are undersized. Bigsby (4.56) and McIntosh (4.62) ran slow.

TCU’s Kendre Miller meets the size thresholds, but hasn’t run due to a knee injury.

Wide receiver

Projected prototype: 6 feet, 207, 4.52

Mims is a little short (5-foot-10) and a little light (183 pounds). He might even be missing enough of both to be an all-out exception, but his 4.38 speed would be a good reason to bend the requirements. Perry, meanwhile, brings great height (6-foot-3) and speed (4.47), but he’s a little light at 198 pounds.

Jaxson Smith-Njigba, a fan favorite around here due to his Ohio State ties, had an 8.29 RAS score. He’s got the right height (6-0) and weight (196), but was just OK on his 40-yard dash (4.52).

Tight end

Projected prototype: 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, 4.72

Washington, Schoonmaker, Musgrave, Kraft and Strange all hit the marks. LaPorta is also in range, but he’s a touch short (6-foot-3) and a touch light (245 pounds).

Projected first-round pick Michael Mayer didn’t test well at the combine. He logged a 7.63 RAS score due to poor agility and explosion marks. His 4.7 40-time just snuck in. But maybe those numbers aren’t the top priority for him, since he can play in-line tight end. Rob Gronkowski also had poor agility scores at his combine.

Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, who is considered the best tight end in this class, does not have a RAS score because he has not done any athletic testing.

Offensive tackle

Projected prototype: 6-foot-5, 312 pounds, 5.18

Teams seem to favor more speed at left tackle than they do at right tackle. So, depending on those thresholds, the prototype could change.

Wright, Jones and Skoronski should have no issue fitting the team’s prototype at the position. Mauch, who weighs 302 pounds, might be right at the cutoff.

Center

Projected prototype: 6-foot-3, 303 pounds, 5.19

Guard

Projected prototype: 6-foot-3, 312 pounds, 5.27

No players cracked the RAS threshold at either position.

Defensive tackle (3-tech)

Projected prototype: 6-foot-3, 301 pounds, 4.98

White (285), Bresee (298) and Pickens (291) are all a little lighter than league trend, but not enough that it is an issue. Dexter might be more of a nose, and he fits all the prototypes there. Adebawore is a little light (282 pounds) and a little short (6-foot-1), but he makes up for the height with 33-inch arms.

Kancey (6-foot-1, 281) is interesting. His 30.6-inch arms are a major outlier. Bravvion Roy, a Panthers sixth-round pick in 2020, is the only player with arms that short (or shorter) who logged a snap on the defensive interior last season. I went back 10 years, and the only other player I found who fit the bill was the Chargers’ Tenny Palepoi (44 career games). Roy and Palepoi have one combined sack between them.

Now, it’s possible there are other players who fit the bill who just never got measured, but Kancey is clearly well outside any prototype, and any team drafting him would have to feel confident his arm length won’t be a major issue.

Defensive end

Projected prototype: 6-foot-3, 271, 4.76

There are probably different prototypes for right defensive ends and left defensive ends, but they’re close enough in profile that they can be lumped together here.

New Orleans likes bigger players, and Foskey and Van Ness are the only players with RAS scores above 9 who are projected top 100 picks who meet the prototype. Hall, at 254 pounds, is a little light.

McDonald and Smith both weigh less than 240 pounds, which likely takes them out of the mix unless New Orleans has a vision for how to use them on early downs. If those players can drop into coverage, perhaps they’ll be considered.

Linebacker

Projected prototype: 6-foot-1, 243, 4.73

We calculated MIKE and WILL linebackers as one group since the skillsets are so similar, and most players can projected to both spots. Campbell and Simpson hit all the marks.

Cornerback

Projected prototype: 5-foot-11, 197, 4.44

Banks, Gonzalez and Porter all meet the mark cleanly. Forbes (166 pounds) is very light for the position. Any team selecting Forbes would need to make sure his playing weight wouldn’t put him at a significant disadvantage against bigger receivers.

Safety

Projected prototype: 5-foot-11, 203 pounds, 4.56

No safeties projected in the top 100 cracked the RAS threshold.

We’re going to be launching a new product and I need someone who knows how to sell ad space. If you’re looking for a side hustle and have experience in the field, send me an email. Nof@neworleans.football— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 8, 2023