New England Patriots links 2/29/24 – Thursday Combine Schedule: Defensive line, linebackers

Daily news and links for Thursday

TEAM TALK

• Patriots 2024 Mock Draft Tracker.
• Mike Dussault notes NFL coaches and GMs offered their thoughts and share positive reviews of three of the Pats personnel and coaching hires from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
• Press Conference: Jerod Mayo addresses the media at the Combine. (7 min.)
• NFL Combine Day 2 Recap: Mike Dussault and Evan Lazar discuss everything they learned from Day 2 in Indy. (6 min. video)
• Patriots Draft Countdown podcast: Mike Dussault and Evan Lazar are at the NFL Combine, joined by ESPN’s Jordan Reid. (30 min. video)
• Highlights: Rob Gronkowski’s 2010 NFL Combine workout. (38 sec. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Matt Dolloff gives us the NFL Combine schedule: When quarterbacks and more have their workouts.
• Mike D’Abate previews the Scouting Combine for the Patriots: 5 Players to watch.
• Karen Guregian notes that during a 1-on-1 interview with MassLive on Wednesday, Jerod Mayo walked back his “burn some cash” quote.
• Tom E. Curran takes a look at how the Patriots can upgrade at running back this offseason.
• Doug Kyed explains how the Patriots’ new philosophy is coming together at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Patriots will rely on building through the draft as they look for their new quarterback.
• Phil Perry tells us how Jerod Mayo is approaching QB scouting at the Combine.
• Alex Barth reports the Patriots have met with five of the six top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, adding Bo Nix and J.J. McCarthy to the mix.
• Sara Marshall points out history warns Patriots against drafting a quarterback with third overall pick.
• 98.5 The Sports Hub guest Aaron Taylor broke down the bad side of Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye as quarterback prospects.
• Phil Perry details the ‘biggest issue’ QB Jayden Daniels presents for NFL scouts.
• Alex Barth profiles Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr., a true generational prospect at the receiver position.
• Doug Kyed relays Jerod Mayo making it clear on Wednesday morning that he’s not taking any shots at his predecessor, Bill Belichick, in making changes.
• Jerry Thornton talks about how the Patriots got absolutely destroyed in the NFLPA’s annual Report Card.
• Andrew Callahan wonders if the Patriots’ NFLPA report card will be enough shame for the Krafts.
• Harrison Reno passes along a report from Albert Breer that Nick Caley was offered the Patriots offensive coordinator job but turned it down.
• Ralph Ventre relays Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft: Patriots pick North Carolina QB Drake Maye at No. 3. “QB is the Patriots’ biggest hole this offseason. The organization can’t move forward and get back to competing for AFC East titles until it gets the position right.”
• Locked On Patriots podcast: Mike D’Abate and Steve Balestrieri discuss Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo, re-signing Mike Onwenu and Kyle Dugger, his team-building philosophy, and the plans for the No. 3 pick. (43 min.)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Jerod Mayo: It’s going to be different here, but [supposedly] that’s not a shot at Bill Belichick’s regime. The question for the Patriots is if their way will result in a return to the kind of results that have eluded them in recent years.
• Edward Sutelan (Sporting News) NFL Combine measurements tracker 2024: Hand size, height, weight & more.
• Danny Heifetz (The Ringer) What are coaches and execs really saying at the NFL Combine? Use our trusty translator to sift through the NFL coachspeak.
• Josh Edwards (CBS Sports) 2024 NFL Combine: Sleeper prospects poised to impress in Indianapolis.
• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) Ranking the top 50 players in the NFL Draft. Is Caleb Williams or Drake Maye this class’s top QB? Will the Bears take one of those players at no. 1, or trade away the top pick again? Is Marvin Harrison Jr. a generational wide receiver? Everything you need to know, with a big board ranking the top prospects, in-depth scouting reports and analysis, and more.
• Sheil Kapadia (The Ringer) Ranking the top 50 NFL free agents.
• Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) 2024 NFL free agency: Ranking top 10 available edge pass rushers, projected contracts, best team fits.
• Nora Princiotti (The Ringer) The most amusing and revealing takeaways from the NFLPA’s annual player survey.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Josh McDaniels was NFLPA’s lowest-rated coach, followed by Ron Rivera and Arthur Smith.
• Jonathan Jones (CBS Sports) 6 teams to submit proposal to push back trade deadline from Week 8 to Week 10.