Draft prospects at DB who would be a good fit for the Patriots

In my last post I listed the needs on this Patriots squad; defense. Mainly the pass rush and secondary. There are a few solid pieces in this secondary (McCourty, Chung, Arrington, and Dowling) but there's quite a bit of room for improvement. Depth in the secondary is essential in this pass driven league and is something the Patriots lacked last season. Here are some draft prospects that would be a good fit for the Pats...

 CB Janoris Jenkins of North Alabama. Once a 3 year starter at Florida, Jenkins transferred to North Alabama due to several mishaps that took place off the field. At 5'10" 193 lbs what Jenkins lacks in size he makes up for with uncanny skills to cover top wideouts. He's a great cover corner and can also contribute in the return game on special teams. With his character issues teams may be afraid to pull the trigger on Jenkins and there could be an opportunity for the Pats to snag him. And for a player with some character issues there's no better team to play for than the New England Patriots.
CB Alfonzo Dennard of Nebraska. At 5'10" 204 lbs, Dennard isn't necessarily going to "wow" you, but his overall game is more than solid. He can play man well and is reliable in run support, something that New England's defensive backs aren't stellar at. He's a smart football player who plays with his instincts. Shouldn't be a starter as a rookie and hasn't played in the slot. Could be a big contributor on special teams and will probably be taken in round 2.
CB Trumaine Johnson of Montana. My favorite NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock has shown high praise for this kid since pre-combine workouts. At 6'1" 204 lbs Johnson is a big corner who has good skills and can help in run support. His has fluid hips and footwork that allow him to stay with his receiver. In press coverage he uses his strength and long arms jam receivers at the line interrupting their routes. Even though he didn't go up against many top wideouts playing in the Football Championship Subdivision, analysts say Johnson is an NFL ready corner.

What Bill Belichick should do in this year's draft

We are coming up on one of my favorite times of the year; the annual NFL Draft. Analyzing team needs and prospects that would best fit those needs. My favorite team is the New England Patriots and when it comes to the draft it's nearly impossible to predict what Bill Belichick is going to do. The Pats have needs at Defensive End, Outside Linebacker, and Cornerback/Safety. After nearly beating the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI with a rather amateur defense, this draft could propel them to being a true championship caliber team. Belichick has two in each of the first two rounds this year's draft and in recent years has been stock piling draft picks. With no serious needs on the offensive side of the ball, this could and should be the year that Belichick uses his early picks and drafts defensive players. This is long overdue by the way, I mean when you have arguably the best overall defensive lineman in the league in Vince Wilfork then you need to build around that player. The Patriots are without Mark Anderson and Andre Carter who were tied for the team lead in sacks last season (10). So, it's quite obvious that getting pass rushers is the intelligent thing to do. Here are some of the front seven guys that I feel would be solid picks for the Pats:

DE/OLB Nick Perry of USC. He's 6'3" 271 lbs and is one of this year's draft classes elite pass rushers. He's got the size, strength, and speed to play at OLB or put his hand in the dirt at DE. It's been said by analysts @ NFL.com that Perry has late first round talent, which is good news because I think he could fall in the Pats lap at pick no.27.
DE Whitney Mercilus of Illinois. At 6'3" 261 lbs Mercilus is more of a DE than an OLB when it comes to his skill set. He doesn't stop until the whistle blows, he's very good against the run, and with his speed he can drop into the flats. But it's said that he'd be best fit in a 4-3 defense and I agree with that, fortunately the Pats use the 4-3 quite a bit. Mercilus should be around come day two.
OLB Bruce Irvin of West Virginia. Irvin is an absolute freakish athlete; 6'3" 245 lbs and runs a 4.5 40 yd. dash. Played DE at West Virginia, he's a phenomenal pass rusher who has a wide array of moves to beat larger and stronger offensive tackles. The Patriots run a mix of 3-4 & 4-3 schemes and with the pass rush being a major concern, Irvin would be an ideal solution.
DE/OLB Vinny Curry of Marshall. Listed at 6'3" 266 lbs, Curry is an intriguing prospect due to his versatility. He can play standing up and rush the passer and he can also set the edge against offensive tackles. He has good technique and burst of the l.o.s. that he displays when rushing the passer. An all around solid player Curry should go in the 2nd round and would be a nice fit for the Pats.

Parcell's decides to stay retired... good decision.

Thank goodness! Yes, the Big Tuna has announced that he will remain retired and will not serve as interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints for the upcoming 2012 season. With head coach Sean Payton's season long suspension without pay beginning on April 16th, Payton looked to his friend and mentor Parcells for advise and possibly coming out of retirement to fill the void left at head coach. After taking a couple of weeks to think it over, today's reports say the 71 year old Parcells will remain retired. And for the record, the Saints are better off without the Big Tuna. He's got a very different personality and coaching style than Payton does and I don't believe that the players would adjust very well. Better off keeping things in house. Which leads me to believe that offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael will get the job as interim head coach