Rookie Watch

Tight end L.J. Smith, a second-round draft choice of the Eagles whose Rutgers teams won only seven games, has caught everything in sight at camp and looked impressive working with Philadelphia's first-team offense last Saturday. Incumbent Chad Lewis, a three-time Pro Bowl player, says the 6'3", 258-pound Smith will be the next Jeremy Shockey. "Anybody coming from a struggling college program will have the tag, 'Can he play at the next level?' " says Smith. "I feel pretty good about my chances to play well early here."...

The Patriots love feisty 285-pound nose-tackle Dan Klecko so much that they're trying to find new ways to get him on the field. Last week Klecko, a fourth-round draft choice out of Temple, practiced as a goal line fullback....

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan thinks he has a steal in 5'11", 215-pound wideout Adrian Madise, a fifth-round selection from TCU who has been lighting up training camp with great catches....

What sets Carson Palmer apart from the other quarterbacks in Bengals camp is his ability to throw the ball to a spot before the receiver breaks on the ball. Most quarterbacks take time to learn their receivers, but Palmer, the first pick in the draft, performs as if he's been playing with Peter Warrick and Chad Johnson for a couple of years.