New England Patriots links 4/28/23 - Pats slam-dunk first round, gear up for unpredictable Day 2

TEAM TALK

• Evan Lazar identifies the best remaining Patriots fits heading into Day Two. Pats still have 11 selections.
• Paul Perillo talks about how the Pats patience paid off with their pick of Christian Gonzalez.
• Post-Draft Pressers & transcripts: Matt Groh (16 min.) and Christian Gonzalez (12 min.)
• Recapping Day 1: Mike Dussault and Evan Lazar analyze the Patriots selection of Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. (2.10 min. video)
• Inside the Draft Room: Round One. (1.36 min. video). /Pretty cool.
• College Highlights: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon. (1.43 min. video)
• Highlights from the Patriots 2023 NFL Draft Party. (1.46 min. video)
• From NFL Network - Daniel Jeremiah reacts: Patriots are getting a Top 10 caliber player. (1.31 min. video)
• From NFL Network - Lance Zierlein, Bucky Brooks compare Christian Gonzalez to Stephon Gilmore. (2 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Andrew Callahan suggests eight potential Patriots picks on Day 2.
• Chris Mason highlights Patriots exec Matt Groh offering his scouting report for Day 2.
• Alex Barth’s Patriots big board for Day 2.
• Nick Goss gives us an updated list of the Patriots picks heading into Day 2.
• Clare Cooper (PatsPropaganda) Round one recap of the 2023 NFL Draft.
• Taylor Kyles spotlights the Patriots pulling off one of the Belichick era’s biggest steals in Round 1.
• Zack Cox explains how the Patriots pulled off the surprise Christian Gonzalez draft pick. /Interesting.
• Andrew Callahan looks at why the Pats believed they could trade back and still draft Christian Gonzalez.
• Chris Mason assesses Bill Belichick delivering a masterful first round performance.
• Sara Marshall (MusketFire) Patriots get steal of the night with perfect first round pick.
• Zack Cox tells us why Christian Gonzalez looks like a slam-dunk pick for New England.
• Doug Kyed reports the Patriots filled a major need at cornerback by taking Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez.
• Nick Goss helps us get to know Patriots 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez.
• Zack Cox relays the Patriots DBs excited reaction to the Christian Gonzalez draft pick.
• Nick O’Malley points out how the Patriots may have foiled the Jets’ first-round draft plans by trading down.
• Keagan Stiefel picks the winners and losers from the first round. Winner: Patriots.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Ryan Fowler (TheDraftNetwork) 13 players who could headline Days 2 & 3.
• Mike Band (NFL.com) 2023 NFL Draft sleepers: Day 2 standouts and Day 3 hidden gems to target.
• Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com) Best prospects still available.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Draft, Day 2: Best prospects available include Will Levis, Joey Porter Jr.
• Steve Serby (NY Post) How Bill Belichick blocked Jets’ Aaron Rodgers protection plan.
• Adam H. Beasley (ProFootballNetwork) Bill Belichick, King Petty, is still sticking it to the New York Jets.
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) 2023 NFL Draft first-round grades, tracker: Patriots: A. “I had him ranked as the top corner in this draft. For him to fall this far is amazing to me. The Patriots traded down and still filled a major position of need. Nice job.”
• Chad Reuter (NFL.com) Day 1 quick-snap grades for all 32 teams. Patriots: A.
• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) First round draft grades. Patriots: A+. “This is a home run pick for the Patriots, who nab my seventh-ranked player after trading back out of their original pick. Gonzalez brings sticky coverage skills and boasts elite athletic traits. He should be a plug-and-play starter for New England from day one.”
• Charles McDonald (Yahoo! Sports) First round instant grades for all 31 picks. Patriots: A+.
• Editorial Team (PFF) Grades for all 31 first-round picks. Pick Grade: Very Good. “The Patriots move down to 17th overall, add a fourth-round pick and still land the second-best cornerback on the PFF big board.”
• Jeffri Chadiha (NFL.com) The First Read: Winners and losers from Round 1. Loser: Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots. “As with Levis, Gonzalez isn’t listed here because of a lack of talent; rather, he’s here because of timing. Most draft pundits had the exceptionally skilled corner locked in as a top-10 pick — instead, he wound up being taken 17th overall after watching two other cornerbacks go ahead of him...”
• Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) Winners and losers of the first round. Loser: The Miami Dolphins.
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) Draft winners, losers from Day 1: Will Levis’ stunning fall.
• Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame (SI) First-round winners and question marks. Winner: Patriots. “New England has long been excellent at drafting secondary players, ranging from safeties Kyle Dugger and Devin McCourty to corners Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson. Bill Belichick pounced after Gonzalez, who was expected to be a top-10 pick, slid down the board due to a run on offensive tackles.”
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Draft winners and losers: Colts take a big swing on QB Anthony Richardson.
• Tim Benz (TribLIve) Broderick Jones is great for the Steelers. The trade to get him was even better.
• John Breech (CBS Sports) 13 crazy facts from a wild first-round, including a QB rarity and a historic run for WRs.