JACKSON, Miss. — When the New Orleans Saints made Taylor Mehlhaff the first place kicker taken in last spring's NFL draft, coach Sean Payton knew he'd have a tough choice to make this summer.

With the goal of contending for a Super Bowl now, Payton must decide whether to stick with a proven veteran like Martin Gramatica or bank on the future of Mehlhaff, an untested rookie with a big leg and a lot of potential.

"I'm not concerned with giving any job to a rookie if we've seen enough, like we did with Marques Colston," Payton said, recalling his decision during 2006 training camp to elevate Colston, an unheralded seventh-round pick, to starter.

"It's the moment of truth where you make the decision," Payton continued. "At some point, and I'm not talking about Taylor, these (NFL) kickers started somewhere."

New Orleans picked Mehlhaff, who played in college at Wisconsin, in the sixth round, 178th overall. They also re-signed Gramatica, who came in last season when Olindo Mare got hurt.

Payton has been looking for a reliable and consistent kicker with a big leg since he took over as coach in 2006.

During his first season, veteran John Carney handled field goals and was excellent from short range, his kickoffs routinely feel short of the end zone, prompting Payton to use a second spot on the 53-man regular season roster on Billy Cundiff, who took over kickoffs and long field goals for part of the regular season and the playoffs.

For the most part, it worked, but ended badly when the Saints sought to take a third-quarter lead in the NFC championship game in Chicago with a 47-yard field goal try. Payton thought the kick was out of Carney's range because of the cold, windy and snowy weather that day, so he went with Cundiff, who had rarely tried field goals that season and missed.

Soon after, the Bears extended their lead and pulled away for good.

Last season, the Saints traded a sixth-round draft pick to Miami for Olindo Mare, who was coming off a tough season with the Dolphins. Mare continued to struggle in New Orleans, missing several key field goals and eventually getting hurt. New Orleans turned to Gramatica, who hadn't made a roster to start the 2007 season. He hit all five of his field goal attempts and all eight extra points.

"Martin has been consistent," Payton said. "When we brought him in last year, he came in in a tough situation and did a good job."

The Saints extended Gramatica's contract into this year, but Mehlhaff's availability in the sixth round of the draft gave the Saints the chance to look at a kicker with a stronger leg whose shown the potential to routinely blast kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks.

Mehlhaff has hit booming kickoffs during practice and sent one over the end zone during the Saints' first intrasquad scrimmage earlier this month. However, he was less consistent in the Saints' opening preseason game in Arizona last week. Two of his kickoffs ended up near the 10-yard line, while one went to the 3 and one to the goal line. Gramatica's one kickoff that game went to the goal line.

Mehlhaff also got the Saints' only field-goal opportunity of the game, making a 33-yarder.

Mehlhaff said he has no doubts about his physical ability, but compares kicking to golf in that it also requires great focus, calm nerves and detailed attention to mechanics in order to achieve consistently good results.

"I've been blessed with a strong leg and I've been known as a strong kicker," Mehlhaff said. "You've just got to continue to improve consistency-wise."

Mehlhaff, who is 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, is a little different from most kickers. For one, he's left-footed. He also played quarterback and outside linebacker in high school in South Dakota, as well as left wing on an ice hockey team during winter. He's fast, has a muscular upper-body build and grew up dishing out as much physical punishment as he took on the football field and hockey rink, meaning he is perhaps more suited than most kickers to make a special teams tackle.

"I feel like I can get in there and have some speed and make a play if I need to," Mehlhaff said. "Hopefully, it doesn't come to that."

Gramatica spent the offseason trying to improve his kickoff distance and said he's seen results. Still, the 32-year-old wasn't surprised or discouraged when the Saints made him compete with a younger kicker.

"For the most part, for the rest of my career, I'm sure I'll be competing with guys younger than me, but that's fine," Gramatica said. "I feel better now than I have in the past few years. I worked out hard in the offseason, so I feel really good."

Gramatica said he has been impressed by Mehlhaff's work in the weight room and his leg strength.

The veteran said he is certain Mehlhaff will have a future in the NFL.

"Hopefully, not here," he added.