Is Lightning Going to Strike Twice with Adrian Arrington?

If you take a trip to the days of FanHouse's infancy, you'll find me touting seventh-rounder Marques Colston before his first NFL catch. I never would have expected Colston to have the two seasons he's had since, but I knew he was going to play, and I knew he was going to be good. (My long arms are getting a good pat on my back).

When the Saints traded back into the seventh round this year to select Michigan receiver Adrian Arrington, his position, size (6'3'', 191 lbs.), and style (solid route running, good positioning, exceptional hands [check the play at 2:30]) led to immediate Colston comparisons, but no one knew how Arrington would translate to the pros. So far, so good. Arrington was one of the most impressive players throughout OTAs, and stole the show at the first day of training camp.

Colston benefitted from a much shallower depth chart as a rookie; Arrington's got a steeper climb. Unless he flat-out dazzles, he'll enter the season no better than fourth behind Colston, David Patten, and Robert Meachem. And unless he proves adept at special teams he's going to have trouble winning a spot from Lance Moore or Terrance Copper, meaning the final spot on the team should be between Arrington and the perennially overrated Devery Henderson.

But I don't see the practice squad in his future. While he might not make the immediate impact Colston did, Arrington's going to catch more than a few balls this year.