It's far from Dennis Allen's first trip to the NFL Scouting Combine as a representative of the New Orleans Saints or even as a head coach.
But there is at least one big difference from his past six seasons in Indy while serving as the Saints defensive coordinator.
"I'm watching all the offensive guys now. ... It's been a good experience," Allen said Thursday morning from the combine. "It's been a lot of just getting used to seeing these guys and this is really our first experience with [some new members of the coaching staff]. So it's kind of the beginning of the process for us."
Those offensive responsibilities begin in the Saints' locker room, where the team appears it could some young WR talent. Allen's focus will remain on the defense with Pete Carmichael leading the offense, but that larger picture is Allen's responsibility now. The players that could benefit the offensive side of that picture took the field Thursday and Friday, with QBs, TEs, WRs, RBs and OL.
A familiar pool to draw from for the Saints would be Ohio State, where star duo Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson wowed in their 40-yard-dash runs, each registering sub-4.4 times. It's the first time since 2006 any teammates achieved that feat at the combine.
Should the Saints return to Columbus for a WR in the draft, it'd mean a Buckeye duo in New Orleans alongside Michael Thomas. The Saints currently have seven former Buckeyes on the roster, the most recent addition being Pete Werner, a second-round draft pick in 2021. The WR room is also facing the potential departure of Tre'Quan Smith in free agency, and return ace Deonte Harris is an RFA, though he'll likely be re-signed.
But however that group shapes up, it'll be a room led by a first-year WRs coach Kodi Burns in place of Curtis Johnson, who held the position for one season. That group was hamstrung by injuries, ultimately led by Marquez Callaway. The second-year UDFA popped in several games, but the group as a whole struggled in the 9-8 campaign.
Burns stood out for the position as the Saints made their campus visits as they scouted the class. One question GM Mickey Loomis asks after each one is: What college coaching names are you hearing the most? Who's standing out. The most common answer: Tennessee's Kodi Burns.
"That’s a name that came up several times and was very impressive in the interview process," Loomis said Wednesday. "We kept hearing really good things about him and I think we’re fortunate to have him.”
The WR position was one position Loomis noted, along with DB, as being particularly deep in the 2022 draft. This draft is also deeper than recent memory with some delayed entrants amid the COVID pandemic and with extra eligibility at the college level. Mid-round picks and UDFAs could be more valuable than ever this season, he explained.
The Saints could also be in the market for a first-round quarterback, though their position at No. 18 makes it difficult to target any particular player, Loomis said. There are also questions looming over Alvin Kamara after an offseason arrest, and backup Mark Ingram is entering the final season of his current deal at age 32, making the running back room could be another prime candidate for an infusion of young talent.
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So will the Saints' first trip with a defensive head coach be the year they finally pull the trigger early on some offensive play-makers? The road to that answer starts in Indy.
“I think the big thing is just to really get a baseline view of each of these prospects," Allen said. "This is a long process that we go through. And really for us as a coaching staff it’s kind of the first building block in the process.”