Kendre Miller is only the fifth running back selected by the Saints in the first three rounds of the NFL draft since 2000.
The others: Deuce McAllister (2001), Reggie Bush (2006), Mark Ingram (2011) and Alvin Kamara (2017).
Pretty heady company for the junior from TCU.
Miller will arrive in New Orleans as a less-heralded and less-decorated prospect. He was a modest two-star recruit out of tiny Mount Enterprise, Texas, and played sparingly at TCU during his first two seasons before breaking out during the Horned Frogs’ magical run to the CFP championship game as a junior.
But here, he will face expectations.
Saints fans will undoubtedly gauge his progress and production against the three backs who were selected after him in the third round, most notably former Ponchatoula High School and Tulane standout Tyjae Spears.
Here’s why Miller might have made sense for the Saints than Spears and the others backs who were selected in Round 3:
He fits the prototype
This is beginning to sound like a broken record, but the Saints do not stray from their prototypes. By now, it should be clear. They like their guys big and physical.
The Saints are not big fans of situational backs, or, as Allen call them, “joker backs.” They prefer their backs to be able to play all three downs.
The Saints ask a lot of their backs, not only as runners but as pass receivers and pass protectors, so their prototypical back is 5-11 and 212 pounds.
In the 17 drafts that Saints assistant general manager Jeff Ireland has run in Dallas, Miami and New Orleans, he has never selected a back in the first three rounds that weighed fewer than 212 pounds. The only back he’s selected shorter than 5-11 was Kamara. At a tick under 6-foot-0 and weighing 215 pounds, Miller has the size the Saints want in their backs.
He provides depth and insurance
With Kamara facing a felony assault charge and potential suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the Saints needed to bolster their backfield depth. Miller, along with veteran free agent Jamaal Williams, gives the Saints a pair of talented options in case Kamara is sidelined for any length of time.
He’s big and explosive
Allen said he liked Miller's "violent" running style and ability to also "take it to the house" on occasion. Miller's one-cut running style is a good fit for the Saints' zone rushing scheme.
Miller averaged 6.7 yards per carry, which led all Power Five players. He ran for at least one explosive play (20-plus yards) in 12 of 14 games last season. His 1,399-yard season in 2022 was the most by a TCU back since LaDainian Tomlinson ran for a nation-leading 2,158 yards in 2000.