The Saints have quietly accumulated a lot of young talent the last couple of years, and it is now time for some of those seeds to bear fruit. Over the next week or so I’m going to go through a list of players who need to prove that they are more than just a roster spot for the Saints. There is no order or ranking here, but these are 5 guys who I believe will help determine if the team succeeds or fails this season. These are the guys who have quietly put in the work, and whether its year 2,3, or 4 now is the time for us to watch them and see what they can become. The next player on the list is rookie and Saints Seventh round pick Daniel Lasco.
Concerns:
The first thing that immediately jumps off the page with Lasco is how, and why, did a player who absolutely tore up the combine like he did drop all the way to the 7th round. Especially when he attended a top flight program like Cal and had enough film out there to make a more than solid case for himself. The reason? Health. Lasco was an animal in 2014, and combining that year of nearly 1500 total yards and 12 TD’s with the fact that he was a multiple time team captain should have guaranteed him at least a mid round selection. However, unfortunately for him (but maybe lucky for the Saints) Lasco was bothered by a hip injury in 2015 and was never really able to return to the form he had the year prior.
The Saints seem to have an affinity for picking up players with a history of injuries, and while there isn’t anything that leads me to believe Lasco’s hip injury will become a chronic issues it’s still concerning. It’s good that they took that gamble in round 7 instead of say round 4 (where they took a different gamble), but it is without a question a gamble. Not only did they choose a running back in the draft when there were quality guards available (a much much bigger need), but they also picked yet another guy with an injury history. Despite all his potential upside, Lasco’s injuries give me a lot of pause if for no other reason than the Saints have an awful track record with injured draft picks.
Reasons to be optimistic:
Absolutely EVERYTHING else. One of my favorite Saints of all time was Pierre Thomas (and I’m not alone) and when I watch Daniel Lasco play he just feels like the answer to the question “what if PT had speed?”. Lasco has great burst and natural athleticism that earned him a SPARQ athletic score of 140.7 (second highest in the draft to Jalen Ramsey). Lasco was the combines top performer among running backs for the 40 yard dash, 60 yard shuttle, the vertical jump, and the broad jump. That is a very impressive combination, and when you combine that with the vision and balance he shows on film there is a LOT to be excited about. I’m not the biggest fan of using pure analytics and I think that the combine’s importance is massively over blown in general by both fans and media. I’m always of the opinion that when you are looking at prospects the film should be 80% of the equation, their combine scores is 5%, and the other 15% is the interviews, the reports from the doctors, and team’s needs. Who ran the fastest 40 on its own really doesn’t provide that much value, because football is a game, not a track meet.
The way I have always looked at things is that the film tells you who the player is NOW, and the measurables tell you what they might become. The film of Daniel Lasco shows a player with burst, top end speed, and a real knack for staying on his feet (slightly reminiscent of a certain former Saints running back I mentioned earlier). Lasco is a MUCH better pass protector than the average back coming out of college and I’m positive that is something that drew the Saints attention to him. He’s also a very good receiver out of the backfield, but at 6’0″ and 210lbs Lasco isn’t the typical small scatt-back you expect in the third down back role.
Lasco is also someone who not only is willing to play special teams, but excels at and takes pride in it. He was a major leader for the Cal bears on and off the field, the same Cal bears team that happened to have the number 1 overall pick in this year’s draft on it mind you. The interesting thing with Lasco is that his film is really good, not GREAT, he’s no Ezekial Elliot who is the best back I have seen in years. But Lasco’s film is rock solid and he’s a near perfect fit for the Saints system as he is effective as BOTH a receiver and running between the tackles which eliminates the ‘tell’ of what the play was that occurred with Sproles. His film shows all the skill sets he would need to be effective in New Orleans, and if he hadn’t been hurt in 2015 I don’t think there is any chance he makes is past round 4, much less into the final round. When you look at what he is you think solid role player for the Saints similar to a PT, but when you transpose his physical attributes on top of the player profile it tells a very different story. When it comes to POTENTIAL (and only potential) Lasco walks into the door as the most gifted back in New Orleans (if Spiller were 3 years younger its his) and could have a legit shot at stealing a LOT of snaps early in his career. He is a 7th round pick though, and while he could become an absolute stud for the team he could also be just another “what might have been”.
Way too early prediction:
I think Lasco is a lock to make the final 53 barring injury and I think he will return at least one kick in preseason and by the time the Saints will be getting ready to face the Raiders Saints fans will be buzzing about how Payton has found yet ANOTHER running back. For the regular season I think Lasco gets an increase in snaps as the season goes on (and when Spiller gets hurt) and he has a chance to bring a really dynamic element to the offense. The two most important things he brings though are his knack as a gunner and his ability to be an effective weapon as well as a solid pass protector. Those are the two biggest reasons he will make this roster and just might be a Saint for a long time.
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