Mecanim: Importing raw rigs with no mesh and only animation data?

Like the title... I would like to know if this is a wise avenue to consider to save space when using mecanim.

I understand that mecanim is pretty damn powerful, that's what i like about it... but, I was wondering about this thought.

to elaborate (just in case there is any confusion about the title/question) What i'd like to know is will mecanim be able to handle animations from files that are composed only of the base rig (with the rotation/position animation data on it of course) with no mesh, no envelopes, no control objects, nothing except the barest of bare rigs and only animation data. I would like to know since it could really streamline the process i'm hoping to use and also significantly shave down the size of the assets folder.