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It may be unfair to compare the Saints' 2007 rookie class to last year's group, considering they have a higher standard to reach for, but Sean Payton's first-year players have yet to make much of an impact.

But that doesn't mean they won't in time.

Consider that after one week of last year's training camp, strong safety Roman Harper, right guard Jahri Evans and wide receiver Marques Colston were overshadowed by Reggie Bush, the second pick of the entire draft, and were backups at their respective positions.

Each of them, of course, would go on to become starters after getting their feet wet in camp. Evans and Colston were All-Rookie selections and Harper likely would have been had he not torn his left ACL in Week 5.

Compared to them, however, this year's group has been rather quiet. Wide receiver Robert Meachem, the team's first-round pick, has not made a lot of noise. Neither has guard Andy Alleman, the second of their two-third round selections, or their two fourth-round picks -- running back Antonio Pittman and tackle Jermon Bushrod.

Cornerback David Jones, a fifth-round pick, and linebacker Marvin Mitchell, a seventh-round selection, have been feeling their way through the process although Mitchell has received praise from the coaches.

While Meachem has made some plays, the most impressive rookie has been cornerback Usama Young. The first of their two third-round picks missed the first four practices with a strained quadriceps muscle, but has shown something with his cover skills and 43-inch vertical leap. Still, he has worked exclusively with the third-team defense.

"They're making progress," Payton said last week. "These games will give us a great opportunity to see them in the line of fire. There's still a lot of work ahead of them."

Perhaps because of a knee injury that forced him to sit out much of the team's off-season program, Meachem has found it difficult to crack the top tier among a deep receiving corps. But quarterback Drew Brees likes what he's seen so far.

"For him, learning a new offense and gaining confidence after coming off of the knee surgery, the more reps he gets and more comfortable he gets out here, the better he's going to get," Brees said. "He's been working and repping and those things are going to start to pay off."

Young has gotten lots of attention since getting on the practice field. He injured his quad while working out on his own a week before training camp and isn't 100 percent, but figured he couldn't miss any more time.

He's worked almost exclusively with the third-team defense, but has worked his way into the second-team rotation in the nickel. He's intercepted at least four passes, including two that he returned for touchdowns. One of his interceptions was a diving, one-handed grab.

"Usama's had more reps than Robert," Payton said. "He had the whole off-season with the minicamps and OTAs, whereas Robert was down. Both have a lot being thrown on their plates as well as the rest of the rookie class."

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