Familiarity is a common theme in Saints' offseason additions
Familiarity is a constant theme in the New Orleans Saints pickups this offseason, both in free agency and the draft. Taliese Fuaga, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Spencer Rattler are familiar with the schematic responsibilities from their college days.
Cedrick Wilson Jr. added to that theme by being signed in free agency after logging a lot of snaps in an offense derived from the same system Klint Kubiak is installing. New Orleans wasn't very active in free agency, but they pulled in Wilson as a tie to Kubiak's offense. After starting his career with the Dallas Cowboys, Wilson spent the last two years under Mike McDaniel in Miami.
The Saints' wide receiver corps will continue to run through Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but Wilson can ease the transition while also being an option as the third threat at the position. The same thinking holds true in their pursuit of Justin Simmons, given the veteran safety's history with several coaches on staff.
Fuaga is the most obvious example. The first-round draft pick operated in a wide zone-heavy offense at Oregon State. That made him an instant fit in Kubiak's system, and this was known before the draft.
McKinstry was the most surprising. It was known the cornerback was accustomed to this style of defense at Alabama, but he delved into how deep his familiarity goes recently. Not only is McKinstry familiar with outside corner, he's fully aware of the principles at slot cornerback as well. That was a surprise to many because he didn't play that position in college.
Even Rattler says he "had a system like this at South Carolina." He called the Saints offense a level up, of course, but verbiage and principles are similar. That's three prominent draft picks with strong familiarity to New Orleans' schemes. This should help with the transition of each player, each of whom have had a strong start to training camp.
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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Familiarity is a common theme in Saints' offseason additions