Brandon Coleman

The comparisons to Marques Colston have been inevitable since the moment the New Orleans Saints signed receiver Brandon Coleman as an undrafted rookie in 2014.

They're both big targets who shield defenders with their bodies and outmuscle them for the ball. They both came from humble beginnings (Colston a seventh-round pick out of Hofstra in 2006, Coleman undrafted from Rutgers last year).

And they're both soft-spoken men of few words -- though Colston is still one of a kind in that department.

"I thought I was a quiet guy until I met him," Coleman cracked. "But I've got a long way to go."
Saints receiver Brandon Coleman has drawn comparisons to Marques Colston. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Coleman (6-foot-6, 225 pounds) said the same thing about the football comparisons, insisting that, "I would like to compare myself to him, but he has some big shoes. I've got to start building my own way first."

According to the story: the football comparisons will only continue if Coleman continues to impress as much as he has this summer. The light bulb seems to be coming on for Coleman in Year 2 the same way it did for Colston a few months into his rookie year in 2006. Coleman has looked great throughout organized team activities, minicamp and training camp, catching almost everything thrown his way while using that big frame to his advantage. He looks fluid, confident, comfortable -- all a change from last summer, when he was still recovering from a lingering knee injury and looked a bit clunky while battling some dropped passes. He wound up spending most of the year on the practice squad and never played in a game. The Saints are going with a youth movement at WR but there is plenty of competition at the position.