By Ross Jackson
A lot of conversation has already been had about the size of the New Orleans Saints’ wide receiver room.
The frames of players expected to be at the top of the position group, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooke have often been questioned.
Can they win in contested catch situations?
What happens when the Saints get into the red zone?
How will New Orleans be able to run the ball with small players on the perimeter?
Veteran wideout Brandin Cooks already shared his opinions on the matter, and this week, Kellen Moore added his thoughts.
“Receivers’ got to be able to run block,” Moore said. “They’ve got to be able to get to the safeties, got to be able to get ourselves one-on-one with corners on the edges. That’s, a lot of times, what run games are about. And they’ve got to be physical with it.”
The tallest Saints receiver is 6-foot-2 and there are four of them: Bub Means, Cedrick Wilson Jr. Kevin Austin Jr. and Donovan Peoples-Jones. They are one of only two teams in the NFL without a wideout taller than 6-foot-2, per NOLA.com’s Matt Paras.
The top wideouts are expected to be Chris Olave (6-foot), Rashid Shaheed (6-foot) and Cooks (5-foot-10). Each have already proven that they can play above their size.
Olave caught 66.7 percent of his contested targets in 2024. Shaheed brought in 55.6 percent in 2023 and Cooks has reeled in more than half of his chances in four of the last six years.
As for run blocking, some share the concern that perimeter blocking will be lacking for the team. But for Moore, the willingness to be a part of the play is just as important as the size of the wideout.
“There’s a mental side of it on understanding your assignment,” he said. “ And then there’s the physical component, which comes down to fundamentals. The finish part of it, the play style. There’s a lot that goes into that and those guys, I think our guys have done an excellent job. They’ve just got to embrace it, go for it, and that’ll lead to big things.”
None of the wideouts on the Saints’ roster have the type of attitude that would leave them out of the “no block, no rock” conversation. Add to the conversation that the position is coached by Keith Williams, a former undrafted wideout that understands very well the importance of these lesser highlight-driven areas of the wide receiver game.
The Saints’ receiver room may be one of the smaller in stature across the league, but they can still be effective.
“I think size, yes, that’s part of it that naturally helps you, “Moore said. “Maybe physically, from being a run blocker, but some of the best ones we’ve had aren’t the biggest guys.”
