New England Patriots links 4/23/20 - 2020 NFL Draft: In Belichick we trust - when we can’t see the plan

TEAM TALK

• Mike Dussault tells us what to expect: Patriots.com’s exclusive draft coverage
• Erik Scalavino writes it is what I.T. is: 2020 Draft a complex logistical web.

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss is looking to the draft to have some unanswered questions resolved and clarify how coach Bill Belichick views key areas of the team. 1. Does he see Jarrett Stidham as a realistic option as QB1?
• Michael Hurley feels it’s a legitimate question to wonder if the Patriots have a master plan for the future or even any plan to ensure that 2020 is better than 2019.
• Mark Morse (PatsFans) Final first round mock draft and some thoughts heading into tonight. Pats have hired Eliot Wolf as a personnel consultant, a role Mike Lombardi held for awhile.
• Bill Pennington speculates how this year’s draft might go, admits only Bill Belichick knows what’s next for the Pats.
• Andrew Mahoney and Christopher Price tell us everything we should know about the 2020 NFL Draft.
• Andrew Callahan gives us his Patriots to-do list for this year’s draft. 1. Trade out of the first round.
• Karen Guregian also believes the Patriots should trade out of the first round for more assets.
• Mike D’Abate (FullPressCoverage) Hold the Line: Ruiz might be the perfect first-round fit in Foxboro.
• Aidan Curran imagines the Patriots’ draft board: 50 players who would fit in Foxborough.
• Andy Hart thumbnails 15 offensive players the Patriots could draft this week.
• Doug Kyed finishes up his analysis of how each player in this year’s QB class could fit with the Patriots: Oregon’s Justin Herbert.
• Darren Hartwell NFL Rumors: Dolphins have considered Joe Thuney trade with Patriots.
• Zack Cox NFL Draft Rumors: Patriots met with little-known defensive back over FaceTime.
• Christopher Price revisits 1995 when the Patriots drafted two Hall of Famers in one draft.
• Mike Reiss explains why, emotions aside, the Rob Gronkowski trade a sound business move for the Patriots.
• Christopher Price relays Rob Gronkowski on why he came out of retirement and how he ended up with the Buccaneers.
• Tom E. Curran explains how Rob Gronkowski gave Belichick a taste of his own medicine.
• Ryan Hannable notes Rob Gronkowski admits he would have considered playing for Patriots again — if Tom Brady stayed.
• Ty Anderson is conflicted, admits it’s nice to see Rob Gronkowski feel well enough to return to football, but feels a little uneasy about the return itself.
• DJ Bean is ridiculous, treats Brady and Gronk leaving like a jilted lover (They left us for someone more fun!) and tries to drag us into picking sides. /Not everything is a ‘Lifetime’ movie.
• Doug Kyed’s final look at how the draft could shake out for the Patriots. Pats trade out of first round.
• Andrew Callahan’s Patriots 7-round mock draft. Pats pick Minnesota S Antoine Winfield, jr. at 23.
• Karen Guregian’s 2020 NFL first-round mock draft. Pats pick Oklahoma LB Kenneth Murray.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Press Release (NFL Communications) A viewers’ guide to the 2020 NFL draft.
• Justin Sayles (The Ringer) How will Bill Belichick handle the Patriots’ most important draft in decades?
• Greg Bishop (SI) Old bunk beds, troublesome kitchen cabinets and squawking parrots: On the front line of the virtual draft.
• Shanna McCarriston (CBS Sports) Analyzing the war rooms of GMs and head coaches ahead of virtual draft
• Armando Salguero (Miami Herald) Tua Tagovailoa’s medical status with Dolphins plus Thuney trade, Rosen status, more notes.
• Kevin Clark (The Ringer) The next wave of franchise QBs faces an uncertain future.
• Albert Breer (SI) Mailbag: Overrated and underrated draft prospects; Rob Gronkowski in Tampa.
• Ben Linsey (Pro Football Focus) 2020 NFL Draft: Teams that could benefit the most by trading back in the first round. Patriots included.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Cole Kmet favored to be first tight end drafted, but unlikely in first round
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) A Rob Gronkowski-Tom Brady reunion is fun, but are we overrating what they can do for the Bucs?
• Mike Jones (USA Today) Rob Gronkowski brings even more star power to Buccaneers, but will he be a dominant NFL player after year off?
• Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (USA Today) Rob Gronkowski says he talked with Tom Brady in February about NFL return before joining Buccaneers
• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) Rob Gronkowski: New England not easiest place to play, but it gets “you right”.
• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) Rob Gronkowski still wears reminder of quad contusion from Super Bowl.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) On changing teams, Brett Favre told Tom Brady to “go for it”.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) NFL mock draft 2020: Patriots swing big trade for QB in first round.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) PFT’s one, and only, 2020 mock draft. Pats pick USC OL Austin Jackson at 23.
• Kevin Hanson (SI) 2020 NFL mock draft 18.0: One final mock. Projected trade: The Ravens send the 28th and 92nd picks to the Patriots in exchange for the 23rd pick.
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) First and final 2020 NFL Mock Draft: Patriots trade up for Tua Tagovailoa
• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) Final 2020 NFL mock draft. Pats pick Iowa Edge A.J. Epenesa at 23.
• Peter Schrager (NFL.com) 2020 NFL mock draft. Pats trade down five places, draft Georgia RB D’Andre Swift at 28.
• Charley Casserly (NFL.com) 2020 NFL mock draft 3.0. Pats pick S Xavier McKinney at 23.

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Brady, Peyton to join Tiger and Mickelson for charity golf match.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFLPA acknowledges lack of force majeure clause in CBA.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Roger Goodell reiterates plan to proceed with full season on time.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) President Trump to sports team owner: Don’t take out stadium seats.