New Orleans Saints expect Johnny Patrick to make big impact this season
 

The new guy is always exciting, so the Who Dat Nation will certainly be abuzz today about the potential of defensive tackle Akiem Hicks from the obscure University of Regina Ñ the guy the Saints finally selected with their first draft choice this year, at No. 89 overall.

But perhaps the player Saints fans should be even more excited about in 2012 is last year's No. 88 overall pick -- cornerback Johnny Patrick.

After barely registering on the radar as a rookie, Patrick is suddenly poised to play a major role as a sophomore.

The Saints let veteran cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Leigh Torrence get away in free agency in large part because they have faith in the potential of Patrick, who is tentatively penciled in as the team's nickel cornerback right now.

Interim head coach Joe Vitt, asked in a predraft interview about cornerback potentially being one of the team's biggest needs this year, quickly pointed out that the team is excited about Patrick.

And veteran corner Jabari Greer said he "definitely" believes that Patrick's growth last year helped the Saints' front office and coaching staff feel better about losing Porter and Torrence.

"The coaches are even speaking to him in meetings this year. That's a good sign. That's better than when they're just talking around you," Greer cracked. "He didn't get a lot of opportunities early last season. But at the end of the year he made some big hits and some big plays, and really showed what an asset he can be. He raised a lot of eyebrows and caught a lot of the veterans' attention.

"We're seeing that same growth we saw with Patrick (Robinson) from Year 1 to Year 2."

Read more.
New Orleans Saints expect Johnny Patrick to make big impact this season - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com

My favorite line in his article.

Don't expect our 2012 draft picks to blossom this year. They'll see some spot duty and special teams work, but not much else.

Look for our 2011 picks to step up. Jordan, Wilson, Patrick, and maybe even Bussey and Romeus.

I really liked Patrick pick.

We need a couple of sure tacklers in the secondary. Greer is one of those solid tacklers maybe Patrick is going to be the other one.