Tyree Wilson’s arms nearly reach down to his knees.

They’re not quite the 40 inches that teammate Chase Young estimated, but in a sport filled with freakish measureables, Wilson’s 35⅝-inch arms still manage to draw awe. According to MockDraftable, a website that tracks combine measurements from 1999 onward, Wilson’s arm length put him in the 96th percentile — with his measurement clocking in a full two inches longer than the average edge rusher.

Oh, and he’s 6-foot-5.

“If he extends his arms,” Young says, “you can’t touch him.”

None of this is new to Wilson. The 26-year-old’s arm length was a big part of the appeal that led the Las Vegas Raiders to draft him seventh overall in 2023, when Wilson was regarded as a top prospect due to his rare blend of physical and athletic gifts.

But Wilson’s career hasn’t panned out the way most envisioned. After he produced only 12 sacks in 50 games, the Raiders traded Wilson to the New Orleans Saints in April in exchange for a fifth-round pick. But the Saints were more than happy to take the flyer. They acquired Wilson with a specific vision in mind, a plan to get him back on track and accelerate his development.

It all starts with Wilson’s length — and making sure he’s actually using those long arms to his advantage.

“He’s got pterodactyl arms now” said Saints edge coach Jay Rodgers. “So if he can get his hands on any tackle, it’s just hard to reach him. As you gain strength and age, then you start understanding what are the attributes that you have that can help your game.”

Another part of the Saints’ crash course for Wilson is to teach him the ins and outs of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s scheme. That goes for any new defender, of course, but coach Kellen Moore said he hopes the exposure to new techniques and concepts will aid Wilson’s game.

Staley runs a scheme in which edge rushers “can fly,” Young said. By having stand-up rushers rather than those with a hand in the dirt, and by mixing in a variety of fronts, the results backed up that assertion last season as Young and Cam Jordan were the first pair of Saints edge rushers to record double-digit sacks in a season since 2013.

Wilson said he believes Staley’s track record is one of the reasons he’ll experience success with the Saints. In the months since joining the black and gold, Wilson said he has felt the Saints have helped “polish” his technique.

Wilson considers himself a power rusher, which means he’s often relying on his strength to win matchups. But, Wilson said, there are counters to that approach that can help him win more consistently, such as grabbing an offensive lineman’s arm to win outside or recognizing when he has the chance to “snatch” over a lineman when a quarterback tries to climb the pocket.

Those are nuances Wilson has needed time to learn as he enters his fourth year in the league.

“Being a young player, you always think you can demolish guys, be stronger than them,” he said. “But guys are polished in the NFL. So you gotta be able to play with length and be able to get off and make those plays, not just get washed and be in the gap.”

There are days that remind Wilson his growth is still a work in progress. After a recent practice, Wilson admitted he had “a little drop-off” from the day prior. He felt he wasn’t as dominant as he knows he can be.

But that’s what coaching is all about. The Saints acquired Wilson in part because of the success they had in bringing in Young, the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year whose career hadn’t taken off in the way most imagined.

The comparison isn’t perfect — Young’s career was affected by a major knee injury that slowed his growth — but there’s no doubt the Saints have helped further develop Young’s game. The former second overall pick recorded a career-high 10 sacks in 12 games last season.

“I think he’s going to be a real great addition for us,” Young said of Wilson. “A real big monster coming off the edge.”

For now, the Saints have mostly used Wilson with the second unit. He projects to be a rotational pass rusher, likely fourth behind Young, Carl Granderson and Jordan.

But the Saints’ hope is that as they hone in on Wilson’s development, the pass-rusher’s natural ability will “come alive,” Rodgers said.

“He’s got a different body type than what we have,” Rodgers said. “So he’s long. He’s wiry. He has good build-to-speed-to-power to him, and there’s a reason why he was a top 10 pick.”