New England Patriots links 3/06/19 - Sony Michel enjoys downtime after full year of full go

TEAM TALK

• Patriots 2019 Mock Draft tracker. Updated.
• Paul Perillo tackles this week’s Unfiltered Q&A: Looking to catch a receiver.
• Breaking down the Patriots 2019 Draft Board as it currently stands.
• Patriots Unfiltered: Takeaways from the NFL Combine. (2 hour program)
• From the NFL - Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport explain why the Patriots didn’t use their franchise tag. (1.43 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Kevin Duffy catches up with Sony Michel discussing his goals for the offseason. 1. A little more downtime.
• Nick O’Malley talks about how, from Julian Edelman to Shaq Mason, Bill Belichick’s Patriots have turned combine snubs into stars.
• Zack Cox profiles potential Patriots: Stanford WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
• David Latham (LastWordOnSports) Patriots wide receiver trade targets.
• Mike Reiss notes free agent Phillip Dorsett says he loved his experience in New England, also wants to be a ‘key contributor’ and a ‘starter’.
• Doug Kyed thinks Phillip Dorsett could prove too costly to retain.
• Evan Lazar says the Patriots could replicate the 2013 offseason by signing free agent WR Adam Humphries to a Danny Amendola-like contract.
• CBS Boston passes along a report that there’s ‘a good chance’ Rob Gronkowski plays for the Patriots in 2019.
• Nick O’Malley passes along a Trey Flowers free agency rumor that say he could make up to $17 million a year.
• Kevin Duffy notes the franchise tag deadline has passed with the Patriots declining to use that option.
• Matt Dolloff notes the the Patriots lack a clear fallback plan if Stephen Gostkowski departs via free agency, where he could easily become the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. An extension also can’t be ruled out at this point.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Patriots 2001: Preview of a Dynasty.
• CBS Boston wonders if the Patriots would be interested in a reunion with Jamie Collins if he becomes available.
• Robert Alvarez (PatsFans) Josh Gordon shares Instagram hype video, continues rehabilitation.
• Mike Petragia Patriots Beat podcast: Guest Ross Tucker joins in to discuss Rob Gronkowski’s future, the franchise tags given out and more. (30 min.)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Andrew Brandt (SI) Business of Football: The phony numbers in NFL free agency.
• MMQB Staff (SI) NFL Draft Big Board: The post-combine top 100.
• Gregg Rosenthal and Chris Wesseling (NFL.com) Top 101 NFL free agents of 2019.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) 2019 NFL free agency: Some stars among top 25 defensive players available.
• Conor Orr (SI) Morning Huddle: The real risers of the NFL combine.
• Barry Werner (TouchdownWire) 11 players who saw their post-combine stock tumble and 11 players who saw their stock soar.
• Andy Benoit (SI) The case against the NFL combine’s 40-yard dash.
• Caroline (SupCaroline) WTF did he say?: An analysis of NFL Combine analysis. /This was pretty good.
• Dan Graziano (ESPN) Winners and losers from the 2019 NFL franchise-tag deadline.
• Conor Orr (SI) Six players receive franchise tags, what happens next?
• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Phillip Dorsett believes Patriots want him back, wants to be a starter.
• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Report: Dwayne Allen moves on to visit with Bills.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Next wave of TV deals could end conference affiliations.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) In the next CBA, NFL is prepared to make major concessions under the substance-abuse policy.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) NFL mock draft 2019. Pats pick Notre Dame DL Jerry Tillery.

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Ken Belson (NY Times) Patriots owner Robert Kraft ramps up his defense.
• Ken Belson (NY Times) Patriots owner Robert Kraft faces biggest test of his power. “He operates as a kind of shadow commissioner, but it is possible that his solicitation arrest could diminish Kraft’s standing among the owners.”
• Jonathan Ng reports Boston-based Gillette is being petitioned by internet activists to take its name off the Patriots stadium.