It’s only May 10,and the 2008 Saints won’t take to the field for another three months.  But, Saints head coach Sean Payton’s response to what he has seen out of his top two draft picks have to excite die-hard Saints fans.

“When you look at Ellis, he’s been a pain in the rear for a couple days now with splitting some double-teams and getting in the backfield. Porter has showed some of the cover skills that we were anticipating that we’d see,” said an apparently satisfied Payton following Saturday morning’s rookie mini-camp workout.

Sedrick Ellis, the six-one, 307-pound defensive tackle out of USC, was the team’s first round draft pick in last month’s NFL Draft. Tracy Porter became a Saints a pick later in the second round, and despite his 5-11, 186 pound frame, Payton hoped to find a defensive back to help shore up the weakest area of his defense.

It appears that their first impressions have been positive for the coach. “I think he has a lot of the things that we’re looking for. He’s an explosive player. I think he has a ‘want-to’,” said Payton of Ellis. “He’s been a part of a winning program. I like him, and I like what I’ve seen. He’s another player that you’ll be impressed with off the field and just as important as that is how he plays. I think it’s important to him, and I think he’ll bring a presence to us. He’ll have to work and earn his spot and earn his reps as all these guys will, but I think it won’t be too big for him.”

Ellis was impressive in his first meeting with the media as a Saint following the morning workout. The rookie’s size was on display thanks to his very big shoulders, but his demeanor in answering questions made it clear why Payton is trying hard not gush about the kid.

“I’m going to work my hardest to put my stamp on this team and work my hardest. I’m going to compete for everything I can get,” said Ellis, who acknowledges his draft position will have plenty of eyes judging every move he makes in the near future. “Well, being a first-round pick, you have a level of pressure, you want to make a good impression. The tempo was very high, everyone wants to come out and be seen. Everything was very fast-paced.”

The play of the Saints secondary last season had many fans wondering if randomly selected members of the crowd at home games could have covered opposing receivers better. It went without saying that since the end of the Bears game in week 17 of last season, the Black and Gold faithful called for help at cornerback.  Porter, a Port Allan native, knows he’ll have a chance to make an immediate impact on the team.

“I won’t say that’s my intention. If that happens, it happens,” said Porter when asked if he felt could make a push for a starting position this season. “For the most part, I’m coming in like any defensive back, like any other football player, trying to earn a spot, battling for it on the field.”

“He has good ball skills,” was Payton’s quick assessment of Porter first few practices. “He gets his hands on a lot of balls, and I think that he has good cover skills. He’s very comfortable in his backpedal and he has pretty good football awareness, which I think helps especially when you’re playing in the secondary. I do like his ball skills and he’s very comfortable right now in some of the things that we’re asking him to do.”

In fact, the early play of Ellis and Porter has been so good that Payton feels they simply aren’t being tested enough with the talent level on the field. “It’s hard to tell because you have such a mixed group. You have to mindful of who Porter is covering or who Ellis is beating on a double-team,” says Payton. “I think you get a better indication of more specifically how they’re doing when they’re with the veteran players.

Both Ellis and Porter themselves feel that while there’s plenty of new material to digest, adjusting to the higher level has started well. “I talked to Reggie (Bush) a little bit before the practices, it was very high-tempo, kind of what I expected,” Ellis said. “All in all, I think it went very well. I’m with a coach (defensive line coach Ed Orgeron) that I’ve worked with before, so I kind of knew what to expect.”

As for Porter, he sounded as if the defense made up of drafted rookies, undrafted free agent rookies, and three-day contract players have been on the field for weeks, hinting perhaps at side of leadership the Saints secondary could use. “The highlights have been flying around to the ball, everyone on the same page. Being around guys, flying around to the ball, guys who want to get better with each and every repetition”

Porter added, “I definitely believe I’ve grasped the schemes and plays. They throw a lot at you quickly, and I definitely believe I caught on to them quickly and I’m out there performing. It’s been a great adjustment for me.”

“I think you can always improve. But I’m very happy with how fast I’m catching on to the system,” said Ellis of his early workouts. “The plays they’ve put in, the stunts – I’ve been able grasp them pretty quickly and to apply them to the field. You can always get better, but that’s the stuff I’m working on. I haven’t been able to play football in awhile, but that’s the kind of things I’m working on.”

Again, while it’s early, it’s nice to be able to say, “what a difference a year makes.” At the 2007 rookie mini-camp, Payton was visibly distraught at the lack of conditioning of the class in general. Add the first-day injury to first round pick receiver Robert Meachem, and the wheels of a non-productive draft class were set in motion. This rookie class lead by Ellis and Porter have Payton smiling, and this reporter for one nodding his head impressively.

Now, let’s see these two against the vets in three weeks when the Saints hold a mini-camp attended by both the rookies and veterans.