New England Patriots links 5/02/22 - Hollers and sense: Will rookie class be money, or come up short?

TEAM TALK

• Mike Dussault Reports: Patriots undrafted rookie signing roundup.
• See Sunday’s links for analysis, rookie highlights and more from Patriots.com.

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss shares some quick-hit weekend thoughts: 1. Could the Patriots’ top draft picks be a referendum on relative athletic score? 2. Why not McDuffie? 3. Thornton’s speed. 4. Early returns; More.
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Sunday Patriots News: Analysis of the Draft Picks; No LBs taken; More.
• Karen Guregian’s Sunday NFL Notes: Patriots had right idea in the draft, but some of their choices and execution were questionable.
• Andy Hart’s Sunday 7: While many fans and media types were focused on the positions the Patriots needed to address in the draft, New England was more worried about the types of players it needed to add to its retooling roster.
• Evan Lazar evaluates the Patriots’ ten-player 2022 NFL draft class. “instead of repeating their successful draft strategy from a year ago, Belichick was back to beating to his own drum in a way that hasn’t necessarily worked out in recent years.”
• Andrew Callahan thumbnails every player and pick from Bill Belichick’s latest draft class.
• Zack Cox gives us eight takeaways from the Patriots’ 2022 draft: Ten players, even more questions.
• Nick O’Malley finds Bill Belichick goes fast, beefy and Strange in this year’s draft class.
• Mike Fisher (Patriots Country) ‘Quick-snap’ draft grades: Patriots ‘experts’ smarter than Bill Belichick? This much is true: If a critic (or you, or me) deserve some benefit of the doubt - and some time - Bill Belichick damn sure does.
• Evan Lazar’s second-round film review: Patriots draft speedy wide receiver Tyquan Thornton.
• Evan Lazar’s third-round film review: Patriots selected versatile CB Marcus Jones.
• Evan Lazar’s fourth-round film review: CB Jack Jones, RB Pierre Strong and QB Bailey Zappe.
• Murph (E2GSports) Cole Strange pick proves Bill is listening but not hearing me.
• CBS Boston notes the Patriots got faster through the draft, but did they do enough on defense?
• Andy Hart points out the Patriots were a playoff team a year ago, even if they didn’t really measure up in the postseason. He doesn’t think this post-draft roster makes for a better football team heading toward 2022.
• Matt Dolloff shares a few thoughts on the Patriots’ 2022 draft class.
• Sara Marshall (Gillette Gazette) Draft pick profile: Cole Strange and Tyquan Thornton.
• Pierce Downey (Gillette Gazette) Draft pick profile: Marcus Jones.
• Mike D’Abate (Patriots Country) Patriots reveal reason for drafting Bailey Zappe onto crowded QB roster.
• Chris Mason notes Bill Belichick chose small-school defensive lineman Sam Roberts in the sixth round. “Fairytale ending” being picked by the Patriots, who he grew up loving.
• Michael Braithwaite (PatriotsWire) Patriots DT Sam Roberts had an absolutely epic live stream after getting drafted
• Karen Guregian notes Pats’ personnel chief Matt Groh believes the Patriots got ‘faster everywhere’ and tougher with their slate of draft picks.
• Mike Reiss highlights Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh saying that, like a college program, New England “can’t really afford to skip a year” when it comes to quarterback prospects.
• Mike D’Abate (Patriots Country) Getting to know the 2022 Patriots Undrafted Free Agents.
• Michael Hurley reports the Patriots signed seven undrafted free agents, including a perfect Bill Belichick player from Miami: QB/WR/RB D’Eriq King. /If he played lacrosse, it’d be a BB grand slam.
• Mike D’Abate (Patriots Country) Andre Tippett’s Rhody son, safety/punt returner Coby Tippett, earns invite to Patriots rookie minicamp.
• Richie Whitt (Patriots Country) Sportswriter who discovered Patriots Super Bowl MVP strikes again in the 2022 draft? Then: Julian Edelman; Now: Sam Roberts? /We shall see...
• Steve Atkinson (NutsandBoltsSports) Jarrett Stidham’s days are numbered as a Patriot.
• Adam London notes Peter King criticizes Bill Belichick after the draft. King wasn’t the only critic either but as London adds, “All told, it’s pretty foolish to make grand proclamations about draft picks before the players even take the field.” /Amen, brother.
• Nick Stevens looks at what the experts had to say about the Patriots draft class. /They were less than thrilled.
• Michael Braithwaite (PatriotsWire) 2022 NFL draft: Experts hand out grades for the Patriots.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Albert Breer (SI) Monday Morning QB: 2022 NFL Draft: Inside the Eagles’ process of collecting and trading picks; Plus, how the Jets’, Panthers’ and Lions’ plans came together, QBs slide and a tribute to Kevin Colbert.
• Peter King (ProFootballTalk) FMIA: 95 minutes in Maryland — Go inside Ravens’ room as Baltimore ‘sticks neck out’ in 2022 NFL draft; “2. I don’t get New England. Picking Cole Strange, a decent prospect from Tennessee-Chattanooga, 29th overall was a naïve move by Bill Belichick. There was no indication he’d have gotten picked before New England’s next pick at 54; even if he was picked before then, so what?” /Then King shows one clip of Strange getting beat by Ravens’ third-round pick Travis Jones at the Senior Bowl to ‘prove’ his point.
• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) Draft debrief: A.J. Brown trade fallout; draft winners and losers; rookie WR projections.
• NFL Nation (ESPN) Biggest offseason questions, team needs, rookie battles and future upgrades for all 32 teams. New England: After not forcing the Bills to punt in each of the past two games against them, did the Patriots do enough on defense to change the result?
• Ben Solak (The Ringer) Seven takeaways from the 2022 NFL draft. 1. Everybody hated the QBs so, so much.
• Doug Farrar (TouchdownWire) The biggest and best steals of the 2022 draft class.
• Bryan DeArdo (CBS Sports) 2022 NFL undrafted free agent tracker.
• Eric Froton (NBC Sports Edge) 2022 AFC Draft grades. Patriots: C. “The Patriots simply do what they do with little regard for what the rest of the league thinks.” Analysis included.
• Thor Nystrom (NBC Sports Edge) NFL Draft quick-snap grades. Patriots: D-. /lolz.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) NFL draft grades: Jets, Lions in top team classes while Patriots, Cowboys among worst.
• Jordan Dajani (CBS Sports) Every team’s best, worst and most interesting pick in division-by-division takeaways. Patriots best pick (A-): WR Tyquan Thornton, Baylor (R2, P50).
• Nate Davis (USA Today) Full analysis of every team’s first-round draft pick. Cole Strange: A highly competitive interior lineman – though he did play some left tackle in 2021 – who distinguished himself at the Senior Bowl, he probably takes over at right guard following the trade of Shaq Mason. Strange only allowed one sack over the past three seasons.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) Analysis of every NFL team’s second- and third-round picks.
• Laurie Fitzpatrick (TouchdownWire) The most improved rosters after the 2022 NFL Draft. /Hm... No Pats.
• Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com) Top 150 prospects in the 2022 NFL draft: Where did each player land?
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Ten moves that should be made after 2022 NFL Draft.
• Jordan Dajani (CBS Sports) Best fits for remaining free agents after 2022 NFL Draft: Odell Beckham to Patriots, Julio Jones to Colts
• Conor Orr (SI) Quarterbacks slid down the 2022 draft board because the NFL has an imagination problem.
• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) James White still has “a little while to go” before being cleared to return.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Matt Groh on Bailey Zappe: “This guy is a winner.”
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Bailey Zappe has already mastered the Patriot Way.
• Analysis Team (PFF) Ranking the 100 best available UDFAs.

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) MLB’s Trevor Bauer suspension now looms over the NFL’s Deshaun Watson investigation.