Sun Herald Says that The Saints Might Start Colston over Henderson... (1 Viewer)

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The Sun Herald reports with Saints WR Donte Stallworth traded to the Eagles, New Orleans HC Sean Payton could start seventh-round draft pick WR Marques Colston opposite WR Joe Horn, 34. Third-year WR Devery Henderson, a second-round pick in 2004 from LSU, has labored during training camp and in preseason action.

Does this mean we pick up Colston....anyone see him play!

from another thread:(my thoughts)

I got to watch him during the Shrine Game practices and game in January. I found out from the director of player personnel John Murphy (who is on a lot of draft video pieces on yahoo) that Colston was a late addition and was in combine shape, not game shape - and that Murphy was very high on him. Colston seemed to have a knack for using his frame to shield the DB and get between them and the ball, and he also was a natural for going after the ball at its highest point - crucial for a tall WR. These qualities and Colston's natural feel for giving the QB a big target seemed like a good recipe for a project - a big WR who innately understood how use that size advantage. Colston showed better than expected straight line speed at the combine (at least better than I expected). I was honestly surprised that he fell so far in April, but a ton of WRs ended up below their expected draft slot. Watching him in the preseason, some of those same qualities have shown up - plus displaying enough quicks to get open. Brees found him on a 4th down in the 2 minute drill this weekend, and he got good separation on a red zone route that resulted in a TD catch (from Martin).

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(from shreveport times)

The big beneficiary of the Stallworth trade, it appears, will be rookie Marques Colston.With good speed and 6-foot-4 height, Colston looks like the prototypical NFL receiver. But in terms of his ability, he was somewhat raw and untested having played in college for Division I-AA Hofstra.Payton saw what he was looking for once training camp started, however. Colston rarely dropped a pass and at times showed his ability to adjust to high throws and gracefully cut inside defenders and soar in the air, stretching to make two-handed catches over his head.His touchdown catch from Jamie Martin in Saturday’s preseason game against Indianapolis only further reinforced what Payton had predicted: That Colston was going to play this season.“I like the progress Marques Colston’s made a lot,” Payton said Monday. “That had a lot to do with why we traded Donte.”...Quarterback Drew Brees was more complimentary.“He’s been playing great. He gets better every day,” Brees said. “Those are the kind of guys we want on this team — guys that come in and work their tail off and end up fitting into a role on this team, which he’s going to do. He’s going to end up getting a lot of opportunities, which he deserves. ... Just look at the guy. He’s a big target, physical, catches the ball very well. He knows what to do. He’s smart. What can I say? The guy deserves it.”

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I've been talking about this for two days.

Good info here.

Projections?

Yahoo! has him with TE eligibility. Is he worth taking in the late rounds as a TE sleeper?

Bri said:

FantasyGuru#1 said:

I just read MAsterminds....-- Saints Could Start Colston over Henderson --

Mon Aug 28, 2006 --from FFMastermind.com

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The Sun Herald reports with Saints WR Donte Stallworth traded to the Eagles, New Orleans HC Sean Payton could start seventh-round draft pick WR Marques Colston opposite WR Joe Horn, 34. Third-year WR Devery Henderson, a second-round pick in 2004 from LSU, has labored during training camp and in preseason action.

Does this mean we pick up Colston....anyone see him play!

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looks like the reporter for the Sun Herald said that not "Masterminds"

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Horn sat out practice yesterday, Colston and Jamal Jones were the WRs running with the first team (this reported by the evening sports talk guys on WWL 870 am last night). And from today's T-P:Link

... Payton insisted at the start of training camp that there would be no "fixtures" on his roster, that he would make decisions based on what he saw.

He certainly proved that Monday. Stallworth was replaced on the first-team offense by rookie Marques Colston, a seventh-round draft pick out of Hofstra.

"I said this to you guys five weeks ago, we're going to really try and go by what we see and not bias ourselves as to how we acquired these players. And that's the only way that I know how to look at it," Payton said. "I think it's a good opportunity for Donté to start fresh somewhere, and it's an opportunity for us to acquire a pick as well as a player."

The trade made sense for the Saints because other than Horn, Stallworth was the most proven player in the team's deep receiving corps, which meant he could command the highest trade value.

The Saints had floated Stallworth's name in trade talks all offseason, but the emergence of such youngsters as Colston and second-year pro Jamal Jones helped make Monday's move easier. ...

And directly from the Sun-Herald article ( link ):

... The fast impression of 2006 seventh-round pick Marques Colston, Payton said, made dealing Stallworth a bit easier. When asked if Colston would be the No. 2 receiver, Payton said, "Right now, no question."

Devery Henderson and Jamal Jones figure to be the other two receivers safe on the roster, with the possibility of a fifth receiver being kept on the roster. ...

Normally, it would probably be asking a little too much of a kid like Colston to come in and start right away. But with a new offense and a new QB, he starts off on level ground with Henderson.

One big thing in Colstons corner is that he can block like a TE. There's enough upside that he's worth taking a late flyer on. My crystal ball says he starts on opening day.

Whatever happened to Mike Hass? Has he been that poor through training camp?

I'm in a 10-team, start 2 TE league and I lost Stevens..

(COLdSTONe is a TE on Yahoo)

Cerebus said:

Whatever happened to Mike Hass? Has he been that poor through training camp?

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Unfortunately it appears yes. It's seems to be a combination of him not being able to get separation and too many WR's to compete with. Colston and Jamal Jones have been impressing and doing better than Henderson. If Hass makes the team it will be as the #5 guy.

Statorama said:

Normally, it would probably be asking a little too much of a kid like Colston to come in and start right away. But with a new offense and a new QB, he starts off on level ground with Henderson. One big thing in Colstons corner is that he can block like a TE. There's enough upside that he's worth taking a late flyer on. My crystal ball says he starts on opening day.

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I don't own any Saints WR's right after dropping both Henderson and Hass before the Stallworth trade, but if I were to pick a guy up it would be Jamal Jones. He's the guy who was impressiving everyone in camp and is more of a all-around receiver than Colston.

Don't sleep on Colston though. Local kid (went to Hofstra) for me. Very talented, just not a burner. Made a ton of plays. I'm very intrigued to see if he can make it at the next level.

I am not giving up on Hass either. I still think he's at least the #2 WR for this team in a year or two.

Here is the info from NFL.com for Colston. It is his draft profile. They assumed he would transition to TE.

SUMMARY

Colston is an interesting prospect because of his size/speed combination. He was first graded on Hofstra film in 2003 and he jumped out and made some big plays, but then he missed the 2004 season due to injury (he redshirted the 2004 season) and then had a very good comeback 2005 season. His measurables make you think he has the speed to be effective playing outside as a receiver, but once you watch a little film it is clear he lacks the burst and speed to get separation from NFL cornerbacks and is best suited to make the switch to tight end. At tight end, he has the speed to get down the seam vs. linebacker coverage and can get separation out of cuts. He has the frame to eventually bulk up to 240-plus pounds, will be able to run strong with the ball and gain yards after contact. He will be a good runner after the catch for a tight end. Overall, Colston is going to be drafted because of his measurables and college production as a receiver, but should only be signed as a free agent because he is a 'Tweener' between receiver and tight end. He can make an NFL team now as a third tight end and special teams player and eventually could develop into a starter if he plays aggressively and raises his level of intensity on every snap.

STRONG POINTS

Colston is a good athlete with the playing speed to run good routes as a tight end. His quickness helps him get out of cuts quickly to get separation on short routes and his play speed lets him get separation down the seam. He has very good hands and they combine with his athleticism, body control and concentration for him to adjust and make tough catches on off-target throws -- best when he reaches out and plucks the ball with his hands (in the games he was graded he caught 90 percent of passes thrown his way). He can drag tacklers for extra yards, can keep his feet vs. hard hits and can break tackles running after the catch. He consistently gains yards after contact.

WEAKNESSES

Colston was a receiver at Hofstra and will need to learn to play a new position while trying to build a career in the NFL. He is not explosive off the ball and this will hinder his ability to release quickly into route. He will need to learn how to fight through the linebacker jam. He was not a highly competitive blocker as a receiver, so he is going to clearly have to become an aggressive blocker to be productive in the NFL. On easy passes within his frame, he has a bad habit of body catching passes (although he does catch them). While he had outstanding size for a receiver, he is going to need to bulk up and add approximately 25 pounds to make it as a tight end.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/colston_marques

This is clearly a motivational ploy for Tatum Bell

I saw him at three training camp practices and he always worked as a WR. Not very fast, but tall and big and seemed to move fairly well. More quick than fast, but I think the quickness will get him some separation.

The biggest thing with the Saints is the O-Line. Not very good at all. There will be lots of short routes, screens, etc and Colston could be effective with those.

If Yahoo allows him to count as a TE, he could be very good there, but no so much elsewhere as a WR, in my opinion.

Ro3384 said:

This is clearly a motivational ploy for Tatum Bell

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very

Even if Colston is #2, he will still be buried in targets. I would fully expect Bush to take the looks that Stallworth would have had.