New England Patriots Links 4/15/10 - Patriots Draft Need: Punter?

Erik Scalavino offers some tidbits from Bill Belichick's pre-draft press conference.

"Having four picks in the first two rounds certainly gives us the flexibility to move from where we at if we feel that's the right thing to do," said Belichick, "or I'm sure if we pick four players that they will be four good quality guys. So we'll see how all that turns out. In the end, we'll just try to do our homework and be prepared for whatever the opportunities are."

"I think [Tim Tebow has] got real good ability; I don't think there's any question about that," Belichick replied. "He's the second or third leading passer in SEC history. His résumé speaks for itself. He's an outstanding football player and he's an outstanding person."

"I've met and talked to Tim on a number of different occasions," Belichick added, alluding to his many trips to Gainesville because of his friendship with Gators boss Urban Meyer. "Obviously, we didn't talk about pro football when he was still in college, but now that he's eligible for the draft, we talked to him about being a professional quarterback."

Ian Rapoport notes that Bill Belichick has never drafted a punter, so don't be surprised if this year is a first.

"We’ve drafted a kicker," Belichick said yesterday. "We’ve drafted a snapper. Would we draft a punter? If we felt that was the right choice, absolutely."

"The thing about those players is you can only have one of them," Belichick said. "It’s not like drafting a running back, where you can have three, four, five. You can only have one long snapper, one punter, one kicker. When you draft a player, you have to feel that that player has a pretty good chance to make your team. Otherwise, what’s the point? That’s not to say every guy will (make it), but that’s the intent."

TEAM TALK

• PFW's Draft Prospect Report: Defensive Backs.
• Bill Belichick Pre-draft Presser. (20 min. video) Plus transcript.
• The Patriots 2010 Hall of Fame nominees have been announced. Now it's up to Patriots fans to cast their vote.
• Houston Antwine conference call transcript. The Patriots' former DT was named as a finalist for 2010 induction to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

LOCAL LINKS

• Karen Guregian hangs with punter prospect Zoltan Mesco, noting the last time the Patriots drafted a punter, Bill Clinton was president and Bill Belichick was coaching the Browns.
• Rob Bradford explains how the Patriots found their new Aussie kicker.
• Mike Reiss reports Patriots CBs Leigh Bodden and Darius Butler have embraced the challenge of defending against the division's new big-name receivers.
• Albert Breer profiles RB Ryan Matthews (Fresno State) as a Patriots prospect.
• Christopher Price questions if the Patriots would break the mold for OLB Brandon Graham.
• Shalise Manza Young believes there will be more wheeling, dealing and overnight deals in this year's prime-time Draft weekend.
• Mark Farinella thinks it's almost a certainty that Belichick will try to move into the third or fifth round, noting the long gap between the 53rd and 119th picks. His second sixth-rounder (205th) and his last three picks (247, 248, 250) are compensatory and can't be traded.
• Ian Rapoport writes that the exhaustive process of preparing for the 2010 draft is almost over, with every player interview, workout, medical profile and public statement cataloged forever.
• Mark Farinella gets the 'Tim Tebow as the Patriots first-round selection' nonsense out of the way, and previews the QB prospects Belichick might consider in a later round.
• Shalise Manza Young wonders if the Patriots would work yet another deal with the Raiders, this time for LB Kirk Morrison.
• Mike Reiss scouted out some players at a fund-raiser basketball game between the Patriots All-Stars and the Westwood Boosters Club.  The winning roster included Meriweather, Bodden, Butler, Wilhite and Arrington.
• Jeff Howe offers his Mock Draft IX.  Pats select OLB/DE Sergio Kindle (Texas).
• Mike Reiss notes the NFL Live crew likes the Jets in the AFC East.

NATIONAL NEWS

• The Trenches (Sporting News) Pats' Wilfork pooh-pooh's Jets pickups.
• Kangaroos.com offers this profile of David King. There is definitely something attractive about having a tough, tackling punter on the field.
• Pat Kirwan (NFL.com) No matter size of draft board, research is done on every prospect.
• Judy Battista (NY Times) With no NFL salary cap, it's a wide-open time for trades.
• Russ Lande (Sporting News) Look for these late-round prospects to become solid starters.
• Wes Bunting (Nat'l Football Post) Five prospects who aren’t worth the love.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) More than 10 teams have taken Dez Bryant off their draft boards.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Could Pats have had Moss-Marshall attack?
• USA Today Mock Draft 2.0. Their team of 'experts' have the Patriots drafting LB Brandon Graham (3), TE Jermaine Gresham (1) QB Tim Tebow (1) LB Sergio Kindle (1) and DT Jared Odrick (2) at number 22.
• Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Can rookie wideouts produce on Sundays?
• Joe Fortenbaugh (Nat'l Football Post) What's the Price for a solid defensive tackle?
• Tim Graham (ESPN) The downside of Brandon Marshall.
• Clifton Brown (Sporting News) Ripple effects of Brandon Marshall trade.
• John Czarnecki (Fox Sports) Jets are NFL's wildest reality show.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Do or die for the Jets in 2010?
• Jay Mariotti (NFL Fanhouse) NFL must set example, suspend Big Ben four games.
• Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) Goodell, Big Ben and personal conduct. Commissioner has the power, but how much will he use?
• Jason Cole (Yahoo! Sports) Stupidity breaks up Steelers' dynamic duo.
• Vinny Ditrani (The Record) Bill Parcells brushes off the barbs made by Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Sypgate lawsuit lives, at least for now.  Florio explains why the lawsuit was dismissed and why this appeal should be too.
• Nathan Gorenstein (Philadelphia Inquirer) Extra long appeals hearing in Patriots ticket-holder suit.