New England Patriots links 4/12/23 - Potential TE, S prospects; Mac rumors cause major eye-rolling

TEAM TALK

• Patriots 2023 Mock Draft Tracker.
• Paul Perillo’s NFL Notes: Welker leads list of nominees for Patriots Hall.
• Patriots Draft Prospect Review: Offensive Line. Mike Dussault and Evan Lazar break down all the top talent at the OL positions in the Draft and which prospects may have a fit with the Patriots. (17 min.)
• Mock Draft Breakdown 3.0 with Mike Dussault and Evan Lazar. (8 min.)
• Patriots Unfiltered: Pros and cons of drafting a RB in the first round, recent mocks and top Pats draft needs. (2 hrs)

LOCAL LINKS

• Conor Orr reports Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe have reportedly started their offseason throwing program with these Patriots teammates.
• Andrew Callahan talks with an anonymous NFL executive about the Patriots’ offseason and 2023 odds: ‘The talent gap is still pretty significant’.
• Phil Perry’s Prototypical Pats: Belichick must be salivating over talented TE class.
• Zack Cox profiles eleven tight ends the Patriots could target in 2023 NFL Draft.
• Ian Logue (PatsFans) Will the Patriots target a receiver early in the Draft? They may ultimately need to.
• Mark Daniels identifies five safety prospects the Patriots could draft to replace Devin McCourty.
• Zack Cox’ Patriots Draft Rumors: Projected top-10 pick visiting New England. Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson is one of the top edge rushers in this year’s draft.
• Mark Morse (PatsFans) Is Belichick taking back his team?
• Andy Hart says Bill O’Brien is more important than Bill Belichick or Mac Jones for success in 2023.
• Phil Perry shares what he’s hearing from the locker room regarding the Mac Jones rumors from the past few weeks, and it sounds like his Patriots teammates aren’t happy about it.
• Ian Logue (PatsFans) Collective “rolling of eyes” at Gillette over ongoing Bill Belichick/Mac Jones situation.
• Sara Marshall (MusketFire) Chris Simms suggested a hidden motivation for Mac Jones putting in extra work, claiming the threat of Bailey Zappe as the reason for his actions. /The pain... it hurts... make it stop!
• Michael DeVito (ChowderandChampions) Pats Insider: Why building the O-Line and D-Line is the best strategy.
• Taylor Kyles gives us his newest Patriots 7-Round NFL mock draft. Pats pick Tennessee OT Darnell Wright at 14.
• Cam Garrity (PatriotsWire) Patriots pull off blockbuster trade in this full first-round mock draft. Pats pick Boston College WR Zay Flowers at 22.
• Justin Trombino (MusketFire) The Patriots fill all their biggest needs in latest 7-round mock draft. Pats pick Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 14.
• Mike D’Abate (Patriots Country) Patriots to run football clinic for children of military families.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tyler Sullivan (CBS Sports) Mac Jones trade rumors: Teammates not happy that news of Patriots potentially moving QB surfaced, per report. /Soooo... media creates rumor, makes it news for weeks, then sympathizes with players upset with the stories and uses their own reports to insinuate management dysfunction.
• Albert Breer (SI) NFL Notebook: An NBA comp for Bryce Young, insights from teams’ 30 player visits.
• Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Five AFC teams that must ace their picks, including the Bills. No Pats.
• Dalton Miller (ProFootballNetwork) NFL Draft top-30 visits: The most interesting or telling visits for all 32 teams.
• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) The top 85 players in the NFL draft.
• Eric Edholm (NFL.com) Top 100 prospects 2.0: Ranking best players in 2023 NFL Draft class.
• Rhett Lewis (NFL.com) 2023 NFL mock draft 1.0. Pats pick Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez at 14.
• Tony Pauline (ProFootballNetwork) 2023 NFL Mock Draft. Pats pick Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 14.
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) 2023 NFL Mock Draft: The worst mock ever that will anger every single NFL fanbase. Pats pick TCU WR Quentin Johnston at 14.
• Stephen Holder (ESPN) Why guaranteed deals are rare for NFL stars like Lamar Jackson.
• Shalise Manza Young (Yahoo! Sports) Ugly accusations are piling up for Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill.