There's hardly a more exciting player to look for than Kendre Miller as the Saints kick of their offseason camp schedule, and it's partially due to his own analysis.
After the Saints picked the former TCU standout, he described himself as having the balance of Alvin Kamara with the speed of Colts star Jonathan Taylor. High praise, but a dive into the tape would show that he's not far off, if he is at all.
But his explanation for why his balance is so superior is even more interesting.
“My feet, probably have a lot to do with it," he said this week. "I’ve got a pretty big foot for a running back. I think I wear like a 13.5, so I’m well planted in the ground. So that’s probably a big part of it.”
After years of watching Kamara work on his balance through a combination of intense and unique drills, it was an abrupt explanation for something that feels a lot more complicated. But hey, whatever works?
And to his credit, when head coach Dennis Allen was asked about his new running back following the second of three practices at the rookie camp, he had the same buzzwords.
“I like his downhill running style," Allen said. "I think he’s got really good feet. I think he’s got really good contact balance, and he’s got the speed to take it the distance if he breaks free in the open field. So there’s a lot of qualities about him that I like.”
It's all part of why the Saints felt confident enough to select Miller at No. 71 overall despite running backs like Tulane's Tyjae Spears and Texas A&M's Devon Achane still on the board. They were also willing to look past the knee injury that Miller is continuing to work back from, suffered during his team's victory over Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
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Miller could be seen working with trainers off to the side during practice, and that's something that could continue when OTAs arrive later this month. Allen wouldn't put a timetable on his return to full participation, but indicated that he did not expect the rookie to miss any training camp time. Miller himself echoed that goal. He said he's eager to return, but team doctors have -- for good reason -- opted to play it safe with his rampup.
“For me, I’ve just been doing my technique with steps and different things while the other running backs are going," he said, "kind of just trying to get the mechanics down of the different footwork from how I was from college to now. And it’s nothing too hard, but I’m just kinda getting it down.”