JACKSON, Miss. There was a time when Roman Harper might have just as soon asked for a teammate's autograph rather than advice.

Even as the New Orleans Saints second-round pick in April's NFL draft, Harper remembers feeling like a kid with a Sharpie pen when he first reported to the team's Metairie practice facility this past spring.

"The biggest shock for me was when I first got here and I saw the big-time guys I've been watching on TV," Harper recalled Friday. "Guys like Joe Horn, Deuce McAllister. Then you see Reggie Bush. But you have to get over that feeling quick."
Harper still has plenty of respect for his teammates, but he's no longer in awe.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety has been far too busy these days making an impression of his own during the Saints preseason training camp at Millsaps College.

Harper faces one of his first big tests as a rookie today when the Saints hold their first full-contact scrimmage at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.