FOXBOROUGH Ja’Whaun Bentley Jersey 2019 , Mass. (AP) — The Patriots took their first step in upgrading their aging secondary and picked up a versatile edge rusher on a busy Day 2 of the NFL draft on Friday night.New England chose former Vanderbilt cornerback Joejuan Williams in the second round with the No. 45 overall pick. After a series of trades, they also added defensive end Chase Winovich out of Michigan in the third round with the 77th overall pick. New England ended the third round selecting Alabama running back Damien Harris 87th overall and former West Virginia offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste with the 101st pick.The Patriots began the night holding two picks in the second round and three in the third. They traded their top pick of the second round (No. 56 overall) and the lowest of their three picks of the third round (101st overall) to the Rams to draft Williams. New England then traded the 64th overall pick to Seattle in exchange for the 77th and 118th (fourth round).But the Patriots weren’t done, trading the 73th pick (third round) to Chicago in exchange for the 87th and 162nd picks, as well as a 2020 fourth-round selection. They then sent the 97th and 162nd picks to the Rams for the 101st and 133rd selections. That leaves New England with seven picks in the final three rounds on Saturday.At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds Williams is a physical player that showed lots of range in college. He had four interceptions and 14 pass breakups as a junior last season.Williams said he felt good about the possibility of going to New England after going through a private workout for coach Bill Belichick and his staff. He said Belichick shared that he primarily views Williams as a cornerback, though he is willing to fill any role that’s needed.“I feel like I can contribute anywhere,” Williams said.Winovich is 6-foot-3, 256-pound former Wolverines linebacker that started all 13 games as a senior and earned third-team All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors. He led the team with 17 tackles for a loss and had five sacks. He has the potential to see a lot of playing time in 2019 as New England looks to replace the production lost by edge rusher Trey Flowers‘ departure to division rival Miami during free agency.Known for his ferocious style of play, Winovich said he sees himself as a “junkyard dog” that attacks every task in front of him. It started when he was in about fifth grade, when he ate a live fish to win a $20 bet.“The value of a dollar I definitely earned it in that moment,” Winovich said. “That’s kind of been my mantra — outwork everybody.”The pick of Harris was a surprising one, with Sony Michel coming off a rookie season in 2018 in which he rushed for 931 yards and six touchdowns. But Michel dealt with a knee issue during the season. New England is also fond of Rex Burkhead, but he also is coming off a season that saw him miss time with a neck injury.Cajuste becomes another candidate to replace Trent Brown, who signed with the Raiders in free agency.Williams joins a stacked group at cornerback for the Patriots that already includes Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, J.C. Jackson, Duke Dawson and Keion Crossen.Williams also joins Obi Melifonwu, primarily a special teamer White Jason McCourty Jerseys , as the tallest players in in the defensive back group.Most comfortable playing on the boundary, Williams said he is looking forward to picking the brain of Gilmore — an All-Pro last season.“He’s one of the best in the league and I want to be one of the best in the league,” Williams said. “I have to learn from the greats. Whatever he does — eating, sleeping, nutrition, treatment — I want to get from him and try to get off his game. Whether it’s from playbook to life, it’s something I want to learn.”That said, Williams said he feels like he is a natural leader and exhibited those skills at Vanderbilt, breaking down opposing receivers and sharing that information with his teammates each week.Aside from helping the team prepare for their upcoming opponent, he said it was early practice for what he wants to do after his football career is over.“I want to be a coach after this game is over with,” he said. “This is just helping me get to that level. … I watch film like I watch ‘Game of Thrones’ or something. Football just runs in my blood. That’s just how I work.” The Lions and Bears showed their coaches the door. Bruce Arians of the Cardinals found it himself. And Vance Joseph of the Broncos remained gainfully employed despite enduring the sort of season that doesn’t go down well in Denver. What is traditionally the NFL’s biggest day for firings, ”Black Monday,” started with a flurry when Detroit canned Jim Caldwell and Chicago did the same to John Fox, both before noon. ”Today is the tough part of our results-oriented business,” said Fox, whose team went 14-34 and finished last in all three of his seasons in Chicago. He and Caldwell, who went 36-28 in four seasons but didn’t win a playoff game, joined Jack Del Rio of the Raiders and Chuck Pagano of the Colts Jason McCourty Jerseys 2019 , whose owners didn’t even wait until the calendar turned, choosing to sack them after their games Sunday. But that was it. Arians, who has been dealing with health problems, including a bout with kidney cancer, announced he was leaving Arizona, though that was widely expected. In a teary news conference, the 65-year-old Arians called his stay in Arizona, which included 49 victories over five seasons ”a great ride.” Sporting his trademark cap and toying with his grey goatee, Arians said an eye opener came over the summer when his wife told him his son, Jake, was soon to turn 40. ”It hit me like a ton of bricks, that I missed all that time,” Arians said. ”That’s the culture. I probably wouldn’t change anything.” Joseph, a rookie head coach who oversaw a 5-11 season that included an eight-game losing streak, was on the hot seat. But his boss, John Elway, slept on it and decided to keep Joseph and not begin a search for the team’s fourth coach in five years. ”We believe in Vance as our head coach,” Elway tweeted . ”Together White Adrian Clayborn Jerseys , we’ll put in the work to improve in all areas and win in 2018.” The Marvin Lewis situation in Cincinnati – well, it’s complicated. Lewis completed his 15th season with the Bengals, and conventional wisdom held that he might not be asked to return. He met with owner Mike Brown on Monday, but no conclusions were reached. Lewis said the decision was more complicated than management simply asking him back, and that the owner and the front office need to be on the same page. The five vacancies (six counting the Giants, who fired Bob McAdoo earlier in December) naturally triggered a flurry of speculation about which assistant coaches might be moving on to take over the teams. Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks confirmed that the Colts, Lions and Giants had asked him to interview. Patriots coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia were, as usual, on a number of lists, and Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was considered one of New York’s top candidates. Maybe most intriguing was the prospect of Jon Gruden leaving the broadcasting booth and returning to the Raiders. ESPN reported that Raiders owner Mark Davis was trying to lure Gruden back to the sideline with an offer that could include an ownership stake. In Houston, Texans general manager Rick Smith said he would leave the team for at least a year while his wife, Tiffany, fights breast cancer. There had been speculation that coach Bill O’Brien might lose his job, though it appeared O’Brien would stay on. Smith dismissed the notion that he and O’Brien don’t get along, saying they have a great working relationship. ”We continue to do that and that’s another reason why this is a decision that I can make,” Smith said. —