Daily news and links for Wednesday
TEAM TALK
- Evan Lazar’s Analysis: Breaking down OT Will Campbell as a potential Patriots draft target.
- Evan Lazar gives us five takeaways from Mike Vrabel’s pre-draft press conference. 1. Vrabel discusses evaluating top prospect Abdul Carter (Penn State).
- Press Conference: Mike Vrabel (20 min. video)
- Patriots Unfiltered: Marcus Jones joins the crew in-studio. (11 min. video)
- Patriots Unfiltered: Marcus Jones in-studio, Mike Vrabel pre-draft presser, draft buzz. (2 hours)
LOCAL LINKS
- Mark Daniels highlights Mike Vrabel discussing the big goals for his first Patriots draft class.
- Jerry Thornton sees Mike Vrabel’s Pre-Draft presser as putting the world on notice that the days of the Patriots being a joke are OVER.
- Ian Logue posts the transcript of Mike Vrabel’s Tuesday presser.
- Mark Morse lays out four potential 2025 Patriots draft scenarios.
- Chris Mason wonders if the Patriots know who they’ll draft at No. 4 if Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter are gone.
- Karen Guregian makes the case for the Patriots to draft Missouri OL Armand Membou at No. 4.
- Ian Logue considers if Membou might be the ‘mauler’ the Patriots need as their answer at Tackle.
- Karen Guregian mentions the speculation that Abdul Carter could be dropping down the board based on some me-first over team-first “character” concerns. Mike Vrabel says that wouldn’t necessarily rule him out.
- Mark Daniels profiles 5 left tackle prospects the Patriots could target next week.
- Alex Barth notes Mike Vrabel says he sees multiple starting tackles in this year’s draft class.
- Andrew Callahan thumbnails 8 potential Patriots cornerback draft picks.
- Phil Perry identifies the best defensive tackle fits for the Patriots in 2025 NFL Draft class.
- Lauren Campbell reports potential Patriots draft target Travis Hunter says he would rather walk away from football than only play 1 position.
- Nick O’Malley looks at how the Patriots may be affected by a chaotic QB draft class.
- Ian Logue explains how the Patriots avoided a potential franchise-altering setback by taking Drake Maye in 2024.
- Chris Mason notes Mike Vrabel channels his inner Belichick with his Stefon Diggs response: “I think he’s doing everything — like everybody else — he’s working hard and I think he’s excited about being here and being a Patriot. He’s a motivated player. He’s a hungry player, just like everybody else that’s here and that’s working.”
- Karen Guregian relays Mike Vrabel on the Joe Milton III trade : “We felt like his reps were going to be decreased as we worked through the offseason. We felt like, just like every other decision, we were going to do what’s best for the team, and that’s the decision we ultimately made. I’m excited to move forward with Drake and Josh.”
- Matt Dolloff’s Patriots Mock Draft 2.0: Trading up for a tackle. Pats pick Michigan DT Mason Graham at No. 4.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Ryan Phillips (SI) What time is the NFL Draft? Start times for every round.
- Chad Reuter (NFL.com) Five pivotal slots in Round 1 that could change the direction of the draft. Patriots included.
- Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) Top five 2025 NFL Draft prospects by position: Travis Hunter ranks No. 1 at WR and CB.
- Nate Tice and Charles McDonald (Yahoo! Sports) Consensus big board has Cam Ward at 8, Shedeur Sanders sneaking into top 40 and more intrigue.
- Kevin Patra (NFL.com) Travis Hunter: I’d rather quit football than only play one position.
- Adam Rank (NFL.com) 2025 NFL mock draft … with a twist! What every team SHOULD do in Round 1. Patriots ‘should’ pick Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter at No. 4.
- Kyle Crabbs (The33rdTeam) 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Full 7-round projections for every team. Pats pick LSU Will Campbell at No. 4.
- Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Better-Than Team for 2025 NFL Draft: Prospects Prisco likes more than scouts do.
- Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (USA Today) 2025 draft sleepers: Which players could be gems after early rounds?
- Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports) Buyer beware on Jahdae Barron, Colston Loveland and these other top prospects.
- Ian Valentino (The33rdTeam) 5 players who should get traded during the draft. Pats included as trade partners.
- Chris Bumbaca (USA Today) ‘A moving target’: NFL front offices adapting to transfer portal, NIL era.
- Ryan McGrady & Douglas Clawson (CBS Sports) Why history suggests this year’s QB class will likely be a bust.
- Matt Verderame (SI) Biggest 2024 NFL draft misses include several linemen. Plus, the Patriots are still in dire need of receiver help after their second-round selection struggled with only 12 receptions.
- Matt Verderame (SI) Ultimate NFL mock draft: Best pick ever at each slot No. 1 to No. 224. Patriots included.