Larry English

[defensiveback23]

I was surprised by the pick at first, but after recovering from the initial shock I found I actually like the pick. When I go down the list of our needs I see that there weren't any safeties or DL worth the pick, Maualuga has some character concerns which we all know AJ hates and we signed Burnett anyway, it has been proven time and time again that you can get an excellent RB in the mid-rounds, Oher doesn't seem like an AJ pick and a good RT can be had later as well.

Pass rushers are always hard to come by and our pass rush was terrible last year, albeit Merriman was gone. AJ is constantly looking towards the future so selecting English really signals to me that what Kevin Acee has been saying all along about us not resigning Merriman has been confirmed. He is one of my favorite players, but when we also have the contracts of Rivers, McNeill and Jackson expiring somebody is probably not coming back. I'm not saying I like the fact Merriman's tenure may be coming to a close, but at least AJ has the foresight to cover all his bases.

I personally really like what English brings to the table. He isn't a freak like Shawne, but is tenacious, powerful and knows how to get to the QB. He really reminds me of Lamar Woodley and I think we're getting a stud.