cardboardboxer

• With Chicago picking Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton in the fourth round, Rex Grossman is now officially on the clock. Smart selection for the Bears, who aren't wavering on Grossman, their 2003 first-round pick. But he has only three NFL starts to his credit, and Chicago unwisely failed to lock up a veteran backup earlier this offseason. In that light, spending a second-day pick on Orton made sense.

• Grossman wasn't the only veteran quarterback put on notice. I guess I'm a bigger Adrian McPherson fan than most, but if I were inconsistent Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks, I'd make sure I come to camp playing my best football. New Orleans spent a fifth-round pick on McPherson, the former Florida State/Arena Football League standout, and that's a steal in my book.

McPherson is gifted athletically and although he's still raw by NFL standards, there are those who believe if you prosper in the fast-paced and condensed arena game, your reaction time will be that much better on a full-sized field. Like Brooks, McPherson is often at his best when a play breaks down and he's forced to improvise and make plays on the run.

I know some of us have knocked the Saints in the past for taking chances on too many character-issue players. They have, but I get the feeling McPherson has learned from his off-field mistakes and doesn't pose the risk his résumé appears to present.

I'm making an early call here, but I believe at some point in 2005 McPherson will win a game or two for the Saints, and just maybe pass Brooks on the depth chart in the process.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...2.draft/1.html

Makes me like the pick even more. I hope the Saints give McPherson a chance to put some fear into teams next year.