LOCAL LINKS
- Mike Reiss discusses the team’s biggest needs in 2020, the depth currently on the roster, the top available free agent fits; plus Todd McShay’s match for each position of need for the Pats in the draft. /Good read.
- Doug Kyed examines the current depth chart and looks at some best-case scenarios on how the Patriots could improve each position in the draft. ‘Outside of one glaring hole, the Patriots could probably field a fairly competitive roster if the 2020 season started tomorrow.’ /Good read.
- Evan Lazar’s NFL Draft Preview: Could the Patriots trade up for a first-round quarterback?
- Mike Petraglia writes Matthew Slater shines a bright beam of football light on the Patriots & the world in dark times.
- Mike Reiss talks with longtime Patriots captain Matthew Slater who acknowledged the team will be forced to form a new identity without Tom Brady.
- Zack Cox reassures us with Matthew Slater declaring the Pats standards won’t change, even if their identity does.
- Darren Hartwell hears from Duron Harmon why Belichick told him they had to trade him away.
- David Latham (LastWordOnSports) 10 Best Patriots draft picks of the 2010’s.
- Zack Cox ranks Bill Belichick’s best (and worst) drafts ahead of the 2020 edition.
- Chris Wilson (BelieveInBostonSports) Top 5 times Belichick traded up and back in the draft.
- Joy Manning (BostonSportsChick) When has Belichick let a guy go too soon? Part 1.
- Steve Atkinson (BelieveInBostonSports) Devin McCourty and Matt Slater will be the leaders in the locker-room.
- Abigail Adams shares the latest odds of the Patriots winning the AFC East in 2020.
- Adam London notes ex-Falcon Taylor Gabriel wasn’t very happy about the rebroadcast of Super Bowl LI.
- Logan Mullen relays who Todd McShay has the Patriots picking in the first round of the draft and why: Iowa Edge A.J. Epenesa.
- Locked On Patriots podcast: Beware the Mocks of March. (30 min.)
NATIONAL NEWS
- Albert Breer (SI) Monday Afternoon QB: Wild-card weekend will feature tripleheaders; Draft prospects to have cameras in homes; More NFL Notes
- Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) Duron Harmon: Patriots had to trade me for cap space.
- Mark Cannizzaro (NY Post) Patriots Brandon Copeland giving back again with ‘life’ webinar for NFL players.
- Staff (ESPN Stats & Information) Tom Brady move adds new wrinkle to Boston-Tampa Bay rivalry.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Matthew Slater praises Jarrett Stidham. “It’s a decidedly non-Patriot Way; Belichick routinely takes to task players who praise teammates publicly, arguing that it’s not their jobs to comment on the abilities or performance of anyone but themselves.” /Wut??? This quote is completely #FakeNews!
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) NFL invites top prospects to “attend” the draft remotely.
- Reid Foster (SI) Which college program is now Quarterback U.? What the analytics say...
- Reid Foster (SI) Alabama is the new Linebacker U.
- Curtis Crabtree (ProFootballTalk) Could Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson be planning a match with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning?
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NBC, CBS would televise the two extra wild-card games.
- Chad Reuter (NFL.com) 2020 NFL Draft: Eight trades that teams should make on Day 1. Pats included.
- Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Best teams ever bracket: NFL edition, Round 1
- Nate Davis (USA Today) NFL mock draft 2020: How trades could drastically reshape first-round outlook.
- Maurice Jones-Drew (NFL.com) NFL mock draft 2.0. Pats pick Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts at 23.
- Cynthia Frelund (NFL.com) 2020 NFL mock draft 2.0: Analytics-based picks. Pats: Oregon QB Justin Herbert.
EXTRACURRICULAR
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFLPA medical director optimistic about 2020 season.
- Jason Owens (Yahoo! Sports) Report: NFL personnel mad at Roger Goodell for not delaying draft amid coronavirus shutdown and silencing detractors.
- Jason Owens (Yahoo! Sports) Steph Curry, Simone Biles, Gronk among sports stars donating signed gear for COVID-19 fund.
- AP Report (SI) Eric Reid calls for invalidation of collective bargaining agreement, new vote.