New England Patriots links 4/27/18 - Round 1 was for the offense; Resetting the board for Day 2

TEAM TALK

• Andy Hart resets the Patriots Day 2 draft needs. /Don’t you mean ‘fits’?
• Erik Scalavino analyzes the Patriots two first round picks. “Our responsibility,” Nick Caserio explained, “is to pick good football players... However they get here, they get here. We want smart, tough football players, especially around here because we ask a lot of our players.”
• Paul Perillo finds the Patriots first-round focus on offense a surprise.
• Conference Call transcripts: Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel.
• Highlights: Sony Michel (47 second video)
• Press Conference: Nick Caserio (19 min. video)
• Inside the Patriots draft room: Round 1. (1.37 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss analyzes the Patriots first-round picks: The versatile Isaiah Wynn can potentially play any spot on the O- line and could address the need at left tackle. Sony Michel brings dynamic playmaking ability and explosion.
• Adam Kurkjian analyzes the Patriots’ two first-round selections, and hears from Nick Caserio: “Both of these players, they’re playing against some of the best players in the country on a weekly basis and they were productive players.”
• Zack Cox tells us what we need to know about Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel.
• Matthew Geagan says while the Patriots didn’t draft help on defense or a quarterback of the future, they snagged a pair of talented and versatile players to help their offense.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Analysis of the Patriots’ 1st-round picks: Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel.
• Doug Kyed wonders if undersized OL Isaiah Wynn fills the Patriots’ need at left tackle.
• Phil Perry included Isaiah Wynn on his pre-draft ‘prototypical Patriots’ list for a reason, and explains why he was their first player selected.
• Ryan Hannable tells us three things to know about Isaiah Wynn: “Wynn blocked for star running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel and a lot of their runs were on the left side with him leading the way”.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Instant analysis of Patriots picking Georgia OL Isaiah Wynn.
• Matt Dolloff gives us some of Isaiah Wynn’s strengths, weaknesses and highlights: Wynn’s draft profile at NFL.com grades him 6.11, denoting that he should become an “instant starter.”
• Ryan Hannable notes Isaiah Wynn thought it was “awesome” being drafted by New England, and doesn’t see his height as being an issue.
• Doug Kyed says Sony Michel has immediate starting potential in the Patriots’ loaded backfield.
• Phil Perry offers two reasons the Pats took Sony Michel so high: He has two years as a captain at Georgia and intangibles, and probably wouldn’t have been available when Pats picked next.
• Ryan Hannable tells us three things to know about Sony Michel: “Michel has been compared to New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara, but one thing to note is he has some ball security issues, as he had 12 fumbles (five lost) over his career”.
• Matt Dolloff provides some analysis of Georgia RB Sony Michel: “Between his powerful, decisive running, and ability to do other things besides carry the rock, Michel certainly sounds like a Bill Belichick kind of back”.
• Pat Lane (WTPSports) Patriots get a playmaker at 31, just not the one we expected.
• Ryan Hannable relays how Sony Michel was shocked when he was selected by the Patriots in the first round.
• Ryan Hannable notes Thursday’s first round proves Bill Belichick and the Patriots view the NFL draft differently than most.
• Mike D’Abate (FullPressCoverage) 2018 NFL draft: Patriots first-round recap and grade.
• Mike Reiss gives us five takeaways from Nick Caserio’s late-night presser: 1. Patriots didn’t flinch when leapfrogged by the Titans.
• Karen Guregian reports the Patriots will have to wait another day to find Tom Brady’s successor at quarterback.
• Mike Reiss talks about how the New England sports culture impressed and swept up Patriots’ RB Jeremy Hill. /Nice.
• Dave Brown serves up a full bowl of snark flakes this morning, with his concern that only two Patriots have officially committed to play this season.
• Nick O’Malley offers the Day 2 best players still available: Patriots can still get the pass rusher they need.
• Kevin Duffy wonders if the Patriots will draft a quarterback today.
• Kevin Dillon picks the Round one superlatives: Biggest surprises, reaches and steals.
• Ian Logue (PatsFans) Friday Patriots Notebook: Two Georgia Bulldogs added; AFC East sees two QBs added.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Lindsay H. Jones (USA Today) Patriots add assets for Tom Brady in NFL draft, but QB question looms.
• Don Banks (Patriots.com) Snap Judgments: NFL draft Round 1: The AFC East got considerably more interesting with half the division adding a new fresh-faced franchise quarterback.
• Mike Freeman (Bleacher Report) NFL Draft Notebook: Browns blow it, again and of course.
• NFL Nation (ESPN) Pros and cons for every 2018 NFL first-round draft pick.
• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) 2018 NFL Draft Debrief: Winners and losers from Round 1.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) NFL draft Winners and Losers: Josh Rosen fired up after ‘nine mistakes’ before he was picked.
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) 2018 NFL Draft winners and losers.
• Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The winners and losers from round 1 of the 2018 NFL draft. Winner: Running backs, Loser: Roger Goodell.
• Lorenzo Reyes (USA Today) NFL draft winners, losers after first round: Steelers among teams who stumbled.
• Chad Reuter (NFL.com) 2018 NFL Draft: Day 1 quick-snap grades for all 32 teams. Patriots: A.
• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) The 2018 NFL draft first-round grades. Wynn - Fit and Value: A, Michel - Fit: A, Value: C-.
• Mike Tanier (Bleacher Report) NFL Draft 2018: Round 1 grades for every pick. Wynn: B- “This is a safe, minimal-risk, instant-upgrade selection. But it is strangely un-Patriots-like.”; Michel: C “Open-field rushing: Excellent. Michel combines moves with a nasty finish once he reaches the second level.”
• Staff (Yahoo! Sports) Premature 2018 NFL draft grades for Round 1. Patriots: Wynn, C+ and Michel, A-.
• Cynthia Frelund (NFL.com) 2018 NFL Draft: Round 1’s top value picks. 2) Isaiah Wynn.
• Mike Mayock (NFL.com) Pick-by-pick draft analysis for Round 1 results.
• Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports) 2018 NFL Draft: Best available Day 2 prospects after a wild Round 1.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) Round 2 NFL mock draft. Pats pick Boston College DE/OLB Harold Landry and Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph.
• Matt Miller (Bleacher Report) 2018 NFL mock draft: Day 2 predictions. Pats pick Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph and North Carolina CB M.J. Steward.

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Peter Keating (ESPN) Documents allege lead attorney in NFL concussion deal did not disclose conflict of interest.
• Rob Bradford says it’s not difficult to identify the positive difference in Hanley Ramirez, and Ramirez credits Tom Brady’s book and the TB12 Method.