Marques E. Colston ( MAR-kis KOHL-stən born June 5, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Hofstra Pride, and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL draft. He helped the Saints achieve victory in Super Bowl XLIV with seven receptions for 83 yards against the Indianapolis Colts. He is the Saints' all-time franchise leader in receiving yards, yards from scrimmage, receiving touchdowns, and total receptions. Despite favorable statistics compared to other Pro Bowl or All-Pro players in the same position like Brandon Marshall and Reggie Wayne, Colston was never selected for either in his career. Colston is often regarded as arguably one of the greatest players in NFL history to never have been selected to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro Team.
Colston attended Susquehanna Township High School, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and was a letterman in football and track. In football, he won All-Conference honors as a wide receiver and defensive end. Colston graduated from Susquehanna Township High School in June 2001.
Colston lettered three years in track & field and was a standout. He qualified for the 2001 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Outdoor T&F Championships in the javelin, recording a top-throw of 57.03 meters. He was also a member of the Susquehanna 4 × 100 m (42.41 s) relay squad.
Colston received a scholarship offer from the Division I-A University of Missouri but turned the offer down in favor of Division I-AA Hofstra.
Colston had 14 receptions for 335 yards (23.9 avg.) and three touchdowns as a freshman. In 2002, he made 47 grabs for 614 yards (13.06 avg.) and three scores. As a junior in 2003, Colston led the team with 51 receptions for 910 yards (17.8 average) and seven touchdowns. Colston redshirted the 2004 season due to a shoulder injury, but in 2005 was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First-team after making a career-high 70 receptions for 976 yards (13.9 avg.) and five touchdowns. In four seasons at Hofstra, Colston appeared in 40 games (37 starts) and recorded 182 catches for a school-record 2,834 yards and 18 touchdowns. During his time at Hofstra, he was teammates with future NFL cornerback Kyle Arrington.
Colston declared for the 2006 NFL draft. He was tipped in many prospect profiles to become a tight end, because of his size and catching ability, but was also predicted to go undrafted.
The New Orleans Saints selected Colston in the seventh round with the 252nd overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft. Colston was the 32nd wide receiver drafted in 2006. He was the seventh player ever drafted out of Hofstra. With Hofstra discontinuing their football program in 2009, Colston became their last player to be drafted from the program.
On July 14, 2006, the Saints signed Colston to a three-year, $1.10 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $24,600.
Throughout training camp, Colston competed to be the third wide receiver on the depth chart against Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, and Terrance Copper. After performing well throughout training camp, head coach Sean Payton elected to trade starting wide receiver Donte Stallworth, stating Colston's progress made Stallworth expendable.
He made his professional regular season debut in the New Orleans Saints' season-opener at the Cleveland Browns and made four receptions for 49 yards and scored his first career touchdown. He made his first career touchdown reception on a 12-yard pass by quarterback Drew Brees during the third quarter. In Week 3, in a game on the road against the Carolina Panthers, Colston recorded an 86-yard receiving touchdown in the 21–18 loss. The reception was the longest receiving play for the Saints since Eddie Kennison had a 90-yard play in 1999. On October 29, Colston caught six passes for 163 receiving yards and had a season-high two touchdown receptions during a 35–22 loss against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. He was named the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 8. He was named the Offensive Rookie of the Month for October. The following week, Colston made a season-high 11 receptions for 123 receiving yards and one touchdown during the Saints' 31–14 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. Once again, he earned Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 9. In Week 10, Colston recorded 10 catches for a season-high 169 receiving yards during a 38–31 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers. His performance marked his third consecutive game with over 100 receiving yards. Colston sprained his left ankle during a Week 11 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and missed the next two games. Colston finished his rookie season with 70 receptions, 1,038 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns in 14 games and 12 starts.
He helped the Saints reach the playoffs with a 10–6 record. The Saints earned a first-round bye with the #2-seed. The Saints defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round and made it to the NFC Championship Game with the Chicago Bears. Despite Colston scoring a touchdown, the Saints fell 39–14, ending the team's season.
Colston earned a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team for his immediate contributions. He tied for second in voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year, behind Tennessee Titans' quarterback Vince Young, and with Jacksonville Jaguars' running back Maurice Jones-Drew. He had more votes than his fellow rookie teammate, the much more celebrated Reggie Bush, who was picked second overall by the Saints. Colston was among the NFC leaders in receptions (70), receiving yards (1,038) and receiving touchdowns (8).
Against the San Francisco 49ers on October 28, 2007, Colston caught a career-high three touchdown passes from Drew Brees and guided the Saints to a 31–10 victory in Week 8. He followed up his three-touchdown performance with three consecutive games going over 100 receiving yards (159, 128, 118). From Weeks 14–17, he recorded five receiving touchdowns in a four-game stretch. For the 2007 season, Colston recorded 1,202 receiving yards and set a team record for receptions with 98, besting the previous mark of 94 set by Joe Horn in 2000 and 2004. He would hold on to this record until 2011, when Jimmy Graham broke the mark. Colston tied Horn's record for touchdown receptions in a season with 11. Colston would share this mark until 2013, when it was also bested by Graham.
On July 23, 2008, Colston signed a three-year contract extension with the Saints through the 2011 season. In 2008, Colston suffered a broken thumb after a hit by Ronde Barber on a quick slant pass in the Saints' Week 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This sidelined Colston for four weeks and Lance Moore moved up into the starting receiver position. In Week 10, he recorded a season-high 140 receiving yards on seven receptions against the Atlanta Falcons. A few weeks later, he recorded a 70-yard touchdown catch against the Green Bay Packers as the Saints won the game 51–29 in Week 12. In Week 16, against the Detroit Lions, he recorded his only multi-touchdown game of the season in the 42–7 victory. Colston finished the season with 47 receptions for 760 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Colston found the endzone twice in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 48–22 victory. During a Week 6 game against the New York Giants in a battle of undefeated teams, Colston caught eight receptions for 166 yards, as the Saints defeated the Giants 48–27. Overall, Colston finished the 2009 regular season with 70 receptions for 1,074 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
The Saints finished with a 13–3 record and earned the #1-seed for the NFC playoffs. In the Divisional Round against the Arizona Cardinals, Colston had six receptions for 83 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 45–14 victory. Colston started for the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. He contributed to the Saints' 31–17 victory with seven receptions for 83 yards against the Indianapolis Colts.