New England Patriots links 6/24/21 – Finding the best position group on the Patriots’ roster

Daily news and links for Thursday.

TEAM TALK

• Erik Scalavino writes about Jake Bailey and Michael Onwenu being recognized by NFL.com.

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss (ESPN Boston) has seen some early signs of promise from Matthew Judon and the Patriots defense.
• Khari Thompson (Boston.com) outlines how Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry could help Cam Newton stay the Patriots’ starting quarterback.
• Ryan Hannable (WEEI) ranks the position groups on New England’s roster from best to worst.
• Jerry Trotta (Musket Fire) wonders if the Patriots might have found a hidden gem in Devin Ross.
• Kevin Tame Jr. (Full Press Patriots) analyzes who might take over Rex Burkhead’s old role.
• Alex Barth (98.5 The Sports Hub) posts his definitive Patriots all-time uniform rankings.
• Jim McBride (Boston Globe) wonders if there could be an actual quarterback competition in training camp.
• Noah Green (Musket Fire) ranks Bill Belichick’s five most surprising moves ever. /Gallery alert!
• Chris Mason (MassLive) opens his mailbag with one big question: How good will New England’s front seven be?
• Adam London (NESN) shares a Julian Edelman tweet trolling Tom Brady.
• Tara Sullivan (Boston Globe) thinks it is fascinating to see the more forthcoming Tom Brady.
• Nick Kosko (247 Patriots) explains why Deion Branch has high hopes for Cam Newton this year.
• Sam Marsdale (247 Patriots) reports that former Patriots assistant Pepper Johnson has a new job.
• Danny Jaillet (Patriots Wire) points out that Cam Newton absolutely dominated Madden NFL beta tests.

NATIONAL NEWS

• ESPN’s NFL writers share what they have learned about all 32 first-round picks so far.
• Kevin Patra (NFL.com) quotes Tom Brady’s thoughts on motivation at this stage in his career.
• Sam Monson (Pro Football Focus) finds eight players poised to break out in Year 3.
• Mickey Shuey (Indianapolis Business Journal) reports that the NFL is planning to move the Scouting Combine starting in 2023.
• Mark Schofield (Touchdown Wire) ranks the 11 best guards in football.
• Mark Lane (Touchdown Wire) list 19 first-round quarterbacks since 2011 who may or may not have scored a contract extension.
• Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) notes that the Steelers can’t get approval for their training camp site.
• Conor Orr (Sports Illustrated) wonders if NIL could be a massive win for the NFL.
• Joel Corry (CBS Sports) takes a closer look at the biggest dead money hits of all time.