New England Patriots links 5/05/23 - Red-zone Gesicki, Blue-chip Gonzalez and a plan for Mac Jones

TEAM TALK

• Evan Lazar connects the dots that made first-rounder Christian Gonzalez a perfect Patriot.
• Mike Dussault notes newly elected Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Vrabel spoke with the media about the honor and reflected on a transformational eight seasons in New England.
• Press Conference: Mike Gesicki (11 min. video) and Mike Vrabel (17 min. video)
• Patriots Catch-22: Evan Lazar and Alex Barth do a pick-by-pick analysis of the Patriots draft class. (100 min.)
• Patriots Unfiltered:: Scouting the 2023 draft class, Mike Vrabel voted to Patriots Hall of Fame. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Andy Hart ranks the Patriots’ post-NFL Draft position groups from Edge to Linebacker.
• Alex Barth puts together a way-too-early post-Draft roster projection for the Patriots.
• Zack Cox analyzes the Patriots’ 12-player 2023 draft class by the numbers.
• Mark Daniels explains how Christian Gonzalez became a bluechip prospect.
• Darren Hartwell points to some unique analytics that suggest Marte Mapu has serious potential.
• Mark Daniels reports Mac Jones didn’t waste any time when it came to connecting with new Pats TE Mike Gesicki.
• Dakota Randall won’t be surprised if TE Mike Gesicki ends up being a more important signing than JuJu Smith-Schuster.
• Alex Barth highlights Mike Gesicki giving his very aware scouting report of the Patriots’ quarterbacks.
• Dakota Randall highlights Mike Gesicki on how the Patriots defense always impressed him.
• Mike Gesicki shares insight on under-the-radar Patriots TE coach Will Lawing.
• Doug Kyed reports WR Kayshon Boutte agrees to terms on a contract. Details included.
• Taylor Kyles lays out how WR DeMario Douglas could fill multiple roles for the Patriots. The Pats have a history with undersized receivers, but Douglas has a chance to change the mold.
• Doug Kyed mentions the NFLPA unexpectedly invited Patriots 6th-round pick WR Kayshon Boutte to the Rookie Premiere event.
• Doug Kyed explains why the Patriots can only roster 89 players for another month. Devin McCourty’s retirement won’t be officially processed by the league until after June 1st.
• Darren Hartwell notes Albert Breer is suspicious about the three interior offensive linemen drafted by the Patriots and what it could mean for veteran center David Andrews.
• Chris Mason relays the story of how boredom and Drew Bledsoe led to Mike Vrabel playing TE for Patriots.
• Bernd Buchmasser passes along this report: Patriots to play Saints in their Germany debut this November.
• Patriot Nation podcast: Pat Lane invites the lead college football and draft writer from FantasyPros, Thor Nystrom, for their annual draft recap. (54 min.)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Steven Ruiz (The Ringer) Does Bill Belichick have a master plan for Mac Jones? /...[sigh]...
• Nick Shook (NFL.com) Top 10 games of the 2023 NFL season. Patriots at Raiders included.
• Myles Simmons (ProFootballTalk) Mike Gesicki: Really excited to work with Mac Jones.
• Gilberto Manzano (SI) 10 NFL first-round picks who will dominate as rookies in 2023. Christian Gonzalez included.
• Matt Verderame (SI) The five NFL draft picks most likely to be a bust in the AFC. Jets DE Will McDonald, Ravens WR Zay Flowers included. No Pats.
• Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports) Day 3 picks who will make an instant impact. Patriots WR DeMario Douglas included.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Ranking all 32 teams for draft picks, free-agent moves, trades, More. Patriots 17th: C.
• Lance Zierlein (NFL.com) 2024 Compensatory pick projections for every team.
• Report (AP) Bills get final OK from Erie County to build new stadium.
• Alexandra E. Petri (LA Times) NFL under fire as California, N.Y. investigate hostile work allegations.