But on Wednesday, a veteran was in town as former Seattle tailback Shaun Alexander visited the Saints.
Alexander was waived by the Seahawks last month after two unproductive seasons following his MVP year in 2005.
"It went well," Saints coach Sean Payton said of the visit. "He had a chance to come in for an afternoon and spend time with (general manager) Mickey (Loomis) and myself and our coaching staff. He'd already been to Cincinnati.
"You try to look at the different options and get a chance to become more familiar with players. He's had a long, successful career and got some good years ahead of him, so we'll see where it takes him."
Payton said whether or not the Saints sign Alexander, or any other running back for that matter, will depend on a lot of variables - the most important being Deuce McAllister's rehab situation.
"It would have to be the right fit," Payton said. "A lot of times what happens between now and June, they'll be some players waived. You've got to monitor that and monitor some of the rosters. And that's what we'll do. It starts with Deuce's health and where he's at and then go from there."
Zenon Gets His Shot
After going undrafted and not being offered any free agent deals, former Breaux Bridge High and LSU defensive back Jonathan Zenon will get an opportunity to play for the Saints.
The Saints invited Zenon for a three-day tryout at rookie mini-camp, joining former Tiger teammates Luke Sanders and Josh McManus.
Zenon played in 41 games at LSU - 30 as a starter. He finished his LSU career with 91 tackles, nine interceptions and 25 pass breakups. Of his nine interceptions, he returned three for touchdowns - including the game-winner to beat Tennessee in last year's SEC Championship Game.
Zenon did not sign with a team after the draft and got a tryout with Cleveland first. The Browns chose not to sign him, freeing him up for his tryout this weekend with New Orleans.
"It's right at home so everything feels comfortable," said Zenon. "It's in my backyard so I feel like this is the best opportunity for me. ... All I can do is showcase my skills and hope for the best."
"Those guys that come from a program like LSU, they come in here with a swagger that they can make this team," Payton said. "And that's a good thing. They've been coached extremely well. They're used to winning and being successful.
"Generally those guys understand that there's going to be some bumps in the road, but have a clear vision of how they see their career going."
Sanders started 22 games for LSU, finishing with 75 total tackles.
McManus was a walk-on at LSU after prepping at Brother Martin in New Orleans. McManus is a non-roster tryout.
Sun Belt Flavor
Four of the rookies at Saints mini-camp are former Sun Belt standouts, including Troy's duo of Zarah Yisrael and Marcus Pittman.
Yisrael was the first overall selection in the All-American Football League draft in February, but the league folded before it could even begin.
The Trojans are joined by North Texas defensive tackle Montey Stevenson and Florida International cornerback/return specialist Lionell Singleton.
Rookies Going Hard
Either the Saints have a good group of rookies this year, or this year's group is determined to earn a spot on the roster.
Payton said the players have been very spirited in drills, to the point of having to slow them down at times and make them pace themselves.
"I think the challenge is learning how to practice against each other without pads on and getting used to the tempo of each drill," Payton said. "The first walkthrough we had Friday morning, and keep in mind it was only a walkthrough, was like a scrimmage.
"They get out there, so we had to have a little meeting on the field just to talk about 'Hey, you're not going to earn a spot in this walk through.' That's to be expected, I think."
Smart choice
An interesting player at the mini-camp is quarterback Richard Irvin, who played for Tulane before transferring to Harvard.
Irvin actually had all but given up on an NFL career after getting his degree in government at Harvard, but couldn't resist the chance to join the Saints for rookie camp after Payton offered him a chance.
"I really wasn't planning on doing football," Irvin said. "This opportunity arose and I'm just enjoying the moment.
Irvin said transferring out of Tulane after the 2005 season was a bad move as far as football was concerned, but the chance to get a degree from Harvard meant a lot to him, so he had no regrets.
Irvin knew Andrew Hatch, now the leading candidate to start next season at LSU following his transfer out of Harvard.
"He's a smart kid. He's talented. He's a big kid. He's fairly fast," Irvin said. "If he gets his shot, he can make the most of it."
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