Saturday's New England Patriots Links 4/28
On day two of the NFL Draft the Patriots added two more pieces to the defensive side of the ball, adding free safey Tavon Wilson out of Illinois in the 2nd round before later selecting Jake Bequette out of Arkansas in the 3rd after they traded out of the 2nd round.
There's plenty of buzz this morning after yesterday's events, so here's a look at today's top stories:
BOSTON GLOBE:
NOTEBOOK: They're well-suited to the team - Shalise Manza Young
Young files her notebook this morning and leads off with quotes from Chandler Jones, who has apparently always been a Patriots fan and is excited to finally be playing for them.
ON FOOTBALL: Draft Time Adjustments - Greg Bedard
Bedard has a good column this morning and starts off by saying while New England may have lost the Super Bowl, 'sometimes things happen for a reason' and that reason may be Chandler Jones.
Belichick runs a reverse on Patriots' draft philosophy - Christopher Gasper
Gasper writes that Belichick went for broke on day one, getting away from the norm of what fans are used to seeing and appears to be going "all-in" heading into this season.
Hightower: 'Excited and overjoyed' to join Patriots - Matt Pepin
Pepin has the full transcript from Hightower's meeting with the media, with the rookie saying he's "overjoyed" to be one of the newest members of the Patriots.
Analyzing the Pick of DE/LB Jake Bequette - Greg Bedard
Bedard offers up his own analysis of Bequette, and says he really likes this pick and feels it's certainly more conventional than the Tavon Wilson selection from round two.
ESPNBOSTON.COM:
Wilson a reach? Not to Belichick - Mike Reiss
Reiss writes that while many were shaking their heads at the pick of Tavon Wilson, maybe that says more about the draft process because Belichick doesn't consider him a "reach" at all.
Bequette feeds SEC pipeline to Pats - Field Yates
Yates has an article on Jake Bequette, and writes that he should feel right at home with all of his SEC counterparts on New England's roster.
Belichick Details Trade Thinking - Mike Reiss
Reiss has comments from Bill Belichick after they traded out of the 2nd round and into the third, where they picked Bequette.
NESN:
Tavon Wilson Has Worked to Overcome Difficult Childhood, Losing Both Parents By Age of 12 - Jeff Howe
Howe has a great article on Wilson and the fact that he overcame his father being murdered and losing his mother to an accident to finally achieve his dream of making it to the NFL.
Dont'a Hightower Recalls Terrifying Memory of Ducking Under Sink During Tuscaloosa Tornado (Video) - Jeff Howe
Howe also posted a video on Friday with Dont'a Hightower discusses what it was like during a terrifying tornado.
BOSTON HERALD:
Patriots Put 'D' in Draft - Karen Guregian
Guregian writes that after what they did on day one, it almost seemed like Bill Belichick was playing with house money with rounds 2 and 3.
Motivation in his grief - Ron Borges
Borges has a great read this morning on Tavon Wilson, who has overcome a difficult childhood and is now one of the newest members of the Patriots after being taken in the 2nd round on Friday.
Hightower gets lowdown - Rich Thompson
Thompson has an article on Dont'a Hightower, who was in Foxboro yesterday to start getting familiar with New England's defense and noted the similarities between Bill Belichick and Nick Saban's - calling them "two peas in a pod".
Jones ready to rumble - Karen Guregian
Guregian has a good article on Chandler Jones, who met with the media yesterday for the first time and had some great comments.
Bequette saw it coming - Rich Thompson
Thompson has an article on Jake Bequette this morning, who said yesterday that after showing early interest prior to the draft, he wasn't completely surprised when the Patriots decided to pick him yesterday.
WEEI.COM:
Flexible flyers: Patriots stress versatility through first two days of draft - Christopher Price
Price has a good column this morning that recaps the first two days, noting that Bill Belichick has placed a premium on the acquisition of versatile players thus far in the draft.
A Closer Look at Patriots Second Round Pick Tavon Wilson - Christopher Price
Price spotlights yesterday's surprise second round pick, free safety Tavon Wilson.
A Closer Look at the Patriots Third Round Pick, Defensive Lineman Jake Bequette - Christopher Price
Price takes a quick look at yesterday's final selection, and notes his agility that he showed back at the Combine earlier this year.
Jake Bequette's Q&A with the New England Media Friday Night - Christopher Price
Price has the complete transcript from last night's conference call with former Arkansas Razorback Jake Bequette.
CSNNE.COM:
Patriots Picks a reaction to a changing NFL - Tom E. Curran
Curran notes that while the Patriots have scored 1,031 points over the past two regular seasons, offense hasn't exactly been a problem. As a result Belichick used the first couple of days trying to fix an area that has been a problem - and that's his defense.
Off the Radar Tavon Wilson Pats' pick at 48 - Tom E. Curran
Curran gives his thoughts on the Wilson selection and writes that while he wasn't invited to the NFL Combine and was slated as a 7th round pick, Wilson is now the newest member of the AFC Champion New England Patriots.
Pats add another front-seven weapon - Tom E. Curran
Curran takes a look at the Bequette selection, with Bequette saying yesterday that he had a great feeling from the Patriots after his earlier meetings at the Senior Bowl and Combine and was glad he impressed them enough to get drafted.
