Marques Colston

On why he, who led NFL rookies in receiving yardage this season, went to Division I-AA Hofstra

Coming out of high school [in Harrisburg, Pa.], I was 6'3" and 180 pounds--a lot different from the guy you see. [He's now 6'4", 231.] I needed to develop, and Hofstra was one of the only schools to offer me a full scholarship. I still speak to Hofstra's wide receivers' coach Jaime Elizondo every week. He critiques me. He doesn't let me feel like I played well all the time. It's a good thing.

On being the fourth-to-last player picked in the draft

I watched the draft at home in Pennsylvania. I watch it from beginning to end every year anyway. I'm a fanatic about it. I had heard I could go anywhere from the third round to undrafted. By the time the Saints called my house, four other teams had already called to ask if I would come to camp as a free agent, so I thought it was the same deal. Then I looked at the TV and saw New Orleans had the current selection. Coach [Sean] Payton was on the phone and said, 'Are you ready to be a New Orleans Saint?' Of course I wasn't going to say no.

On rookie hazing

The guys haven't been bad to me. During camp I had to carry helmets and shoulder pads. One day I had to carry five helmets back, which was tough with only two hands, but I wasn't about to make two trips. Our practice field was far from the locker room.

On his family

My father, James, passed away when I was 14. It was real sudden, and we never had an autopsy done, so we assumed it was from natural causes. It was rough. I have two older brothers, Kenny and James, an older sister, Takia, and a younger brother, Stephen. We were always close-knit, but to get through my father's death we definitely had to pull together. My mother, Josamarie, is like my best friend. I talk to her two to three times a week. She works the overnights at a nursing home assisting the patients. She's a giving person. Just selfless.

On Pro Bowl teammates, receiver Joe Horn and QB Drew Brees

They've been so instrumental in my success. As a young guy, it's all about building confidence and mine came from those guys showing confidence in me. From Day One, Joe took me under his wing since he had a similar story coming from a small school [Itawamba (Miss.) Community College]. And Drew just exudes confidence. Anytime you've got a guy like that showing you confidence, it definitely helps you along.