I'm one of those people that sits through almost the entire draft. Sure, I'll get up off the couch to get food or play some wiffle ball, but I'm never too far away from a TV that I can't see the last 10 or so picks. I happened to be at a friend's house towards the end of Day Two of last April's draft, when the Saints, with their last pick, selected receiver Marques Colston from Hofstra. My friend, a Hofstra alum who's tenure at the university coincided with Colston's, said, "Who? I mean, I've been to a lot of Hofstra football games, but...who?"If you're a player selected with a compensatory seventh-round pick, most of the time, your future in the NFL isn't very bright. But Colston, whom the Saints considered passing over in favor of recruitment as an undrafted free agent, has played himself onto the roster this offseason. It was widely assumed that Devery Henderson would take the place of Donté Stallworth in the starting lineup, but guess who currently sits only behind Joe Horn on the depth chart? Colston. Five months ago, he was only four picks away from being Mr. Irrelevant, now he's proving to be the complete antithesis of that. Thought by many teams to be a tight end by NFL standards because of his size (6'4'' 230lbs), Colston has shown dedication, displayed a good work ethic, and has picked up the intricacies of life as an NFL receiver quickly. A scout watching the Saints recent preseason game against the Colts had this to say about him: "Colston plays like a veteran, not an obscure seventh-round pick from football lightweight Hofstra. He made a great double move (against Indy) and then blew up CB Kelvin Hyde. For a big guy, Colston moves so well." And Sean Payton, who's been fickle with praise, has given Colston quite a bit: "He's gonna play, all right. He's gonna play. He's been doing it all camp. You guys have been there. It hasn't just been one practice, one scrimmage, it's every time he puts the pads on."
Successful rookie receivers like Anquan Boldin and Michael Clayton are the exception, not the rule, so it's tough imagining Colston sprinting from the gate on his way to a 1,000 yard, eight touchdown season. But three months ago it was hard imagining him even making the roster. His size should provide the Saints with some beneficial matchups to exploit, especially in the red zone. On a 4th & 2 from the Cowboys' two-yard line at the end of the first half a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't Horn, Reggie Bush, or Deuce McAllister that Drew Brees looked for, it was Colston. The compliments keep coming like so many passes, and Colston continues to catch and run with every single one.
