Adrian Arrington Impresses on First Day

Mike Tripplett at the Times-Pic put up his notes from the morning session today. Rookie WR Adrian Arrington seems to be the player of the day in his opinion.

The other most compelling battle on this team is at receiver, where seventh-round draft pick Adrian Arrington continued to make things interesting on Thursday. Early in seven-on-seven drills, Arrington beat cornerback Greg Fassitt deep down the left sideline and laid out for a diving 45-yard catch from quarterback Tyler Palko. It was easily the play of the day.

Later, Arrington caught another deep strike from Palko down the middle of the field after safety Chris Reis just missed a chance at an interception. By Arrington's count, he dropped one pass during the morning session after he slipped.

"It felt great," Arrington said. "You want as many opportunities as you can to make plays. The most important thing for me is to show the coaches what I can bring to this team."

Arrington was being harassed during the interview by veteran teammates Craft and Gay. Craft said he needs to make at least three or four more catches before he deserves to be interviewed, and Gay gave a more serious warning that he better not get a big head.

But in brief glimpses throughout the summer practice sessions, Arrington has continually impressed as a big target with good downfield speed and consistent hands. He'll have to pass up a few veterans over the course of this next month if he wants to make the final roster, but he's certainly capable of doing it.

None of the receivers ahead of Arrington on the depth chart had a bad day. Second-year pro Robert Meachem had at least one impressive grab on an out route from Brees, and he said he feels healthy and confident as he tries to put last year's struggles behind him.