JACKSON, Miss. ― Sedrick Ellis pushed up field, knocking guard Andy Alleman back into Mark Brunell’s comfort zone.

The pressure was enough to force Brunell to sidestep into defensive end Bobby McCray, who stripped the ball from the quarterback.

Photo by Bradley Handwerger / WWL-TV.com

Sedrick Ellis goes through defensive line drills during Tuesday's afternoon practice at Millsaps College.

It was the last play of Tuesday’s practice.

It also was the best play of the day for Ellis, who signed his rookie contract mere hours before the final whistle after holding out for six days and 12 practices.

“Not bad,” head coach Sean Payton said. “I thought we had good pressure on the passer. Until we look at the film, it will be hard to tell.”

At first glance, however, it’s not very hard to tell Ellis is going to play a large part in what New Orleans will do on defense this season.

“We expect him to play a significant role in the front and contribute in a way that’s going to affect the quarterback and help us in the back end as well as the front end,” defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs said.

Getting Ellis in camp, however, was much more of a problem than Payton, Gibbs or general manager Mickey Loomis. After attending OTAs and minicamp in the offseason, Ellis held out for almost the entirety of the first week of training camp.

He did this despite the players in front of him having agreed to contracts by Saturday afternoon, two days into Saints camp.

Sixth pick Vernon Gholston and the New York Jets came to terms early Friday morning while Glenn Dorsey, the No. 5 selection, agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday morning.

By the end of Ellis’ holdout, the rookie was getting antsy, he said.

“I had to make sure my agent was doing everything possible to get me into camp and also I had to stay patient because that’s what he gets paid for – to make good deals and to deal with the team,” Ellis said.

And with the rest of the line getting a six-day jump on Ellis, he’ll have a long way to go to get to where Payton and Gibbs need him to be.

Ellis spent the summer following minicamp working out and conditioning in southern California before flying to Tampa, Fla., a week ago where he awaited a contract.

“I definitely feel behind,” Ellis said. “You can’t help but feel behind when everybody else has already learned plays and you’re trying to catch up.”

Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron made it simple for Ellis on his first day. He just threw the former Southern California standout into the fire, running the defensive tackle through drill after drill.

“That’s the kind of guy Coach O is – if he feels like you need some work, he’s not going to be shy about it at all,” Ellis said. “He’s going to pull you aside when it’s supposed to be your break time. So you always want to make sure you’re in the game.”