New England Patriots Links 4/09/10 - Kevin Faulk Sounds Off, Dez Bryant Works Out, Tedy Bruschi Checks In

Christopher Price writes that Kevin Faulk is still a bit upset at being a second-round pick.

"Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? You go on visits, you get told you’re a first-round pick," he said Thursday morning after a workout at Gillette Stadium. "You get told by a couple of teams, ‘We’re going to draft you. We’re going to draft you with our pick.’

"The team I love the most, standing on the surface right now, told me we’ve got two picks in the first round, and we’re going to take you with one of them. Two picks came, and I wasn’t taken," Faulk said of the Patriots, who took center Damien Woody and linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer. "But it’s like I said, it’s like [a] marriage. You’re mad one day, and then, it’s like, ‘OK, here I am. Here’s what I have to do.’"

Ian Rapoport reports LB Marques Murrell still feels that undrafted chip weighing on his shoulder.

In his first meeting with the media yesterday, the linebacker trumpeted his affinity for special teams (13 tackles in 2009) and described himself as still being in the "must-prove-myself" situation.

"Everything I get in this league, I have to fight for," Murrell said. "You can look at that as a blessing or a curse. Some guys go to big schools, and they don’t quite understand how hard you have to work. I look at it more like a blessing to even have this opportunity."

TEAM TALK

• PFW Draft Prospect Reports: Outside Linebackers and Inside Linebackers.  The PFW staff have done their homework on all the prospects in this year's NFL Draft. Now, you can download the actual notes they took on all the top players, broken down by position for your convenience.

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss notes veteran RB Kevin Faulk takes pride in having played his entire career with one team and was disappointed to see his friend Donovan McNabb get traded.  He offers some quick hits from Faulk's meeting with reporters.
  
• Tom E. Curran notes that long ago Kevin Faulk emerged as one of Belichick's favorite players and a standard to be held up to others.
• Tom E. Curran recalls a time early in Kevin Faulk's career when fumblitis made him "a dead-man walking. Deader than Laurence Maroney is right now."
• Christopher Price offers more quick thoughts from Kevin Faulk.
• Ian Rapoport has the Kevin Faulk interview video addressing his longevity (1.13 min. video)
• Mike Reiss helps us get to know LB Marques Murrell, the free agent picked up from the Jets this offseason.
• Christopher Price offers his take on WR Dez Bryant (Oklahoma State), who worked out for the Patriots at Gillette Stadium Thursday.
• Tom E. Curran observes the Patriots brought in Dez Bryant mostly for a persona check. They just need to find out whether his flaws are ones they can work through.
• Monique Walker and Albert Breer details Dez Bryant's visit to the Patriots and what his main issues are.
  
• Ian Rapoport reports CB Dominique Franks (Oklahoma) worked out individually for the Patriots and offers his thoughts of the lengthy meeting and what Bill Belichick was looking for.
  
• Tom E. Curran profiles RB Ryan Matthews (Fresno State), who had "a hundred coaches, coordinators and position coaches swooning" when he said pass-blocking was probably his strong suit.
• DJ Bean profiles potential Patriot DE/OLB Jerry Hughes (Texas Christian), saying he has an almost identical skill set to Brandon Graham and should be available at no. 44.
• Mike Reiss details the Patriots Draft Party held last Saturday, for those of us not on the season-ticket holder guest list. (4.45 min. video included.)
• Robert Lee profiles TE Jermaine Gresham (Oklahoma) as a potential Patriot.
• Mike Reiss offers the transcript of his weekly online chat.  Worth the trip to get his thoughts on the upcoming Draft.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tim Graham (ESPN) Taylor watch: Fins passive, Jets aggressive.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) AFC East stock watch.
• Ross Tucker (SI) Want to be an NFL decision-maker?  Learn how to lie through your teeth.  There's a picture of Belichick to go with the story, but not a word about him in it.
• Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Trying to figure out Tebow.
• Alex Marvez (Fox Sports) Workhorse running backs becoming scarce in pass-first NFL.
• Michael Lombardi (Nat'l Football Post) My 10-deep mock draft: One QB, six defensive players make this list.
• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Draft Flashback 2004: Parker, Welker were undrafted jewels.