New England Patriots links 4/26/17 - 2017 NFL Draft: For Patriots, third-round's the charm?

TEAM TALK

• PFW Draft Prospect Rankings: Cornerback.
• Paul Perillo tackles this week's Ask PFW Mailbag: Draft trades, potential picks and more.
• Angelique Fiske tells us Malcolm Mitchell was honored as a Promise Hero last week in New York City.
• Patriots Today - 3 Games to Glory 5 premieres at Showcase Live. (1.39 min. video)
• 3 Games To Glory 5: Trey Flowers at Practice. (1.49 min. video)
• From the NFL - Clemson QB Deshaun Watson: I am chasing Tom Brady; I want six rings. (16 second video)
• Draft Prospect Review 4/25: Final Patriots pre-draft thoughts. (16 min. audio)
• Cover 2 with Don Banks and Chris Price 4/25: Debut podcast with John Lynch Interview; NFL Mock Draft. (49.30 min. audio)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss breaks down the needs on the defensive side of the Patriots roster as it stands before the draft.
• Jeff Howe suggests the Patriots shouldn’t need a cornerback in this weekend’s draft, but hey, he previews the options anyway.
• Karen Guregian profiles Washington CB Sidney Jones.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Pats Posits: Draft week is here!
• Mark Farinella concedes that despite the draft experts & insiders best insight, Bill Belichick often goes his own way, "And you know what? Most of the time, he's right." /Hurt to admit, didn't it Mark.
  
• Mike Reiss spotlights three tight end prospects for the Patriots in the later rounds of the NFL draft.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Patriots add Gillislee, new look backfield complete?
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) By stacking backfield, Bill Belichick continues to zig when NFL zags.
• Jim McBride previews the kicker position in this year's draft and tells us why it's easy to miss. Top kicking prospects available.
• Zack Cox looks at the Patriots draft history for the third round, and says those players have produced mixed results.
• Ryan Hannable gives us a few comparisons to show what type of player the Patriots could get with picks No. 72 and 96.
• Doug Kyed tells us which 2017 draft prospects best fit the Patriots.
• Jeff Howe puts on the hoodie and offers up the Herald's version of what the Patriots will do in this year's draft, trades and all.
• Jim McBride weighs in with his prediction of which prospects the Patriots will draft with each of their picks.
• Rich Garven jumps in with his own predictions.
• Ryan Hannable suggests that the Patriots are reluctant to trade Jimmy Garoppolo because 'maybe he really will succeed Tom Brady.'
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Steve Smith isn't loving trade hype surrounding Jimmy Garoppolo.
• Kevin Dillon explores which AFC East team is the biggest competition for the Patriots.
• Quick Slants Entertainment reporter Chya Mayo interviews Matthew Slater, James White and other Patriots. (3.47 min. video)  /Cute alert.
• Russ Goldman (PatsFans) Patscap Podcast: Breaking down Aaron Hernandez’s salary cap implications. (29.20 min. audio)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Ross Tucker (Sports on Earth) Pats to all teams: Hands off Jimmy. /Don't touch Jimmy!.
• Kevin Clark (The Ringer) The new rules of the 2017 Draft: The five guiding principles teams need to know in order to compete.
• Willie McGinest (NFL.com) Patriots' NFL draft strategy: Make the most of every selection.
• Albert Breer (The MMQB) 10 Things I think I think:Things I'm hearing 48 hours before the 2017 NFL Draft; More.
• Kristopher Knox (Bleacher Report) Full New England Patriots Primer for 2017 NFL Draft.
• Jordy McElroy (FanRagSports) Patriots have clearly shifted to win-now mentality.
• Nick Schwartz (Fox Sports) Skip Bayless: New England might be the biggest Super Bowl favorite in NFL history.
• Peter King (The MMQB) On Gareon Conley and more thoughts on NFL draft eve; MMQB Mailbag.
• Michael Lombardi (The Ringer) The 14 best NFL draft prospects: Here are the automatic contributors — from QBs to DBs — to keep an eye on this week.
• Conor Orr (NFL.com) Information wars: How teams get the REAL draft intel.
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) 10 Realistic potential 1st-round trades.
• Jason Fitzgerald (OverTheCap) The retention rate of top draft picks.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) Three years later, report cards for 2014 NFL draft put Raiders at top. Patriots B+.
• Sam Gardner (Fox Sports) 18 former NFL players explain how draft day was different in their eras.

DUMPSTER DIVE

• Sean Wagner-McGough (CBS Sports) Cowboys have been kings of drafting in past 15 years, according to one metric: Cowboys' draft picks since 2002 have been to 17 more Pro Bowls than next closest team. /Ahh, you win, Jerry.