{"id":11504,"date":"2017-04-30T05:00:50","date_gmt":"2017-04-30T09:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=11504"},"modified":"2017-04-30T07:13:03","modified_gmt":"2017-04-30T11:13:03","slug":"new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, here are your\u00a0Sunday\u2019s Patriots news 4-30, & AFC East Notes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not that anyone really cares but on Saturday, Deflategate actually ended. The Patriots had to cede their 4th<\/sup> round draft pick. But if the NFL\u2019s arbitrary enforcement of an equipment violation\u2019s intent was to punish New England, think about this. During the timeline of Deflategate, New England was 31-7 with two Super Bowl wins\u2026. Back to the drawing board guys.<\/p>\n

With the draft complete, the Patriots were so deep at so many positions, they drafted only OL and DL. That is a good problem to have.<\/p>\n

We mentioned this before here, but nobody does a better job of evaluating talent than the NFL Network\u2019s Mike Mayock<\/strong>. Between his work on the Combine and then the Draft, he\u2019s head and shoulders above everyone else. I\u2019d be surprised if someone doesn\u2019t try to bring him on board a franchise soon as a talent evaluator.<\/p>\n

Draft Had the Future in Mind:<\/strong> The Patriots added some depth and potential impact players in the 2017 NFL Draft but this seemed to be a draft with the focus clearly on 2018 and beyond. While players such as top pick Derek Rivers will be looked at to contribute this season, he and OT Antonio Garcia were selected clearly with the future in mind. Deatrich Wise will be looked to be a sub-package player initially.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s nothing wrong with that. With a roster as loaded as New England\u2019s is and fresh off another Super Bowl victory, there aren\u2019t a ton of open starting positions available. And they used some of their draft capital on free agent player, which will segue right into this…<\/p>\n

Belichick, Patriots Go for Known Commodity, Value over Draft Picks:
\n<\/strong>We\u2019ve repeated this time and again but it bears repeating. While many fans and some of the talking heads in the media lament the lack of draft picks for the Patriots, Bill Belichick doesn\u2019t<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we’ve been watching a lot of picks go by, but I feel like overall our opportunity in this draft started a couple of months ago, Belichick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process, <\/em><\/strong>Belichick added.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully we’ve been able to improve our team, become more competitive. That’s the ultimate goal, he said.\u201d<\/p>\n

One needn\u2019t have to read the tea leaves to see that Belichick considers the players traded for draft picks in free agency as draft capital. So, he deems Brandin Cooks and Kony Ealy as the team\u2019s first and second-round picks. Dwayne Allen as a fourth rounder and Mike Gillislee as a fifth-round pick.<\/p>\n

In trading for established pro players, Belichick has a known commodity in making the deals. Cooks, for example, has been a very productive receiver in the NFL and there\u2019s no reason to believe that at just 23 years old, he won\u2019t continue to grow as a player.<\/p>\n

The draft is a crap shoot because no one really knows how a player will turn out once he turns professional. How many \u201ccan\u2019t miss\u201d prospects end up busting? It is an inexact science, something Belichick has said numerous times. They know Cooks, Ealy, Allen, and Gillislee can produce in the NFL because they already have. Albeit, some at different levels than the others but with Belichick, he will place these players in a position to succeed, knowing that they are professionals already.<\/p>\n

Now take a second look at the Patriots \u2018draft\u2019 haul and it looks much different.
\n1st<\/sup> Round \u2013 Brandon Cooks<\/strong>, WR, Trade with New Orleans
\n2nd<\/sup> Round \u2013 Kony Ealy<\/strong>, DE, Trade with Carolina
\n3rd<\/sup> Round \u2013 Derek Rivers<\/strong>, DE, Youngstown State
\n3rd<\/sup> Round \u2013 Antonio Garcia<\/strong>, T, Troy
\n4th<\/sup> Round \u2013 Dwayne Allen,<\/strong> TE, Trade with Indy
\n4th<\/sup> Round \u2013 Deatrich Wise<\/strong>, DE, Arkansas
\n5th<\/sup> Round \u2013 Mike Gillislee<\/strong>, RB, RFA Buffalo
\n5th Round – James O’Shaughnessy<\/strong>, TE, Trade KC
\n6th<\/sup> Round \u2013 Connor McDermott<\/strong> T, UCLA<\/p>\n

Now courtesy of another lookover of the haul and it seems like a much deeper draft class, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Garoppolo and Butler Stay Put, Despite All the Trade Rumors:<\/strong>
\nAfter much talk dedicated to the \u201cwhat if\u201d category of New England trading QB Jimmy Garoppolo and CB Malcolm Butler this offseason, both remain here and likely will for at least the 2014 season.<\/p>\n

There were rumors that the Patriots rebuffed a Cleveland Browns trade offer on Thursday night. Whether the Browns didn\u2019t offer enough compensation or not remains unseen but supposedly New England told the Browns that Garoppolo was not up for grabs.<\/p>\n

Cleveland eventually took a QB in the draft, DeShone Kizer from Notre Dame with the 52nd<\/sup> pick, so that should put the Jimmy G. rumors to rest now.<\/p>\n

Butler too was subject to many trade rumors to New Orleans. Although the Saints said they were impressed with him, they didn\u2019t swing a deal for him since they would have had to give the Patriots compensation of a first-round pick and then some and subsequently signed him to a long-term contract.<\/p>\n

Both remain on the roster and should remain there for at least the 2017 season. With no CB taken, Butler, Stephon Gilmore, and Eric Rowe seem to be the top three CBs in the rotation. Butler may see some time in the slot depending on the matchups. Cyrus Jones is in the mix too.<\/p>\n

Rivers on Meeting Belichick on Pre-Draft Meeting, \u201cIt was Awesome\u201d:<\/strong>
\nTop Patriots draft pick Derek Rivers<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was awesome, man,\u201d Rivers\u00a0said to the media via conference call. \u201cI mean, we talked ball. I love coach Belichick. I love everything he is and what he stands for and how he coaches his demeanor. I mean, he\u2019s an awesome dude. I could learn a lot from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, it\u2019s awesome,\u201d he said when asked about coming to New England. \u201cI\u2019m super excited. I mean, there\u2019s just so much I can learn from those guys that were there, as far as just the commitment that those guys have, the type of coaching that\u2019s in that locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just ready to learn from those guys and get better with those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

UDFA Signings By the Patriots:<\/strong>
\nAs soon as the draft was complete, the undrafted players immediately began getting interest from teams. The Patriots have already either signed or are bringing in several players on a tryout basis. Those already linked to New England include:
\nDT Josh Augusta, Missouri
\nLB Harvey Langi, BYU
\nWR Austin Carr, Northwestern
\nS Jason Thompson, Utah
\nG Jason King, Purdue
\nTE Jacob Hollister, Wyoming
\nCB Kenny Moore, Valdosta State
\nDE Corey Vereen, Tennessee
\nS David Jones, Richmond
\nDT Adam Butler, Vanderbilt
\nRB Leshun Daniels Jr., Iowa
\nOT Cole Croston, Iowa
\nOT Max Rich, Harvard
\nS Damarius Travis, Minnesota
\nCB D.J. Killings, Central Florida
\nDE Adam Butler, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n

There will be plenty of comings and goings on this list, so stay tuned…<\/p>\n

East Bound and Down\u2026AFC East Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bills Address Needs and Move up and Down the Board:
\n<\/strong>The Buffalo Bills had needs at CB, and WR with the loss of Stephon Gilmore and Robert Woods. Their first two picks in the draft definitely met those.<\/p>\n

LSU CB Tre\u2019Davious White is a perfect fit for the Bills zone defense and he\u2019s considered a solid locker room presence as well as a player. He will compete for an immediate role as a starter.<\/p>\n

Zay Jones, the WR from East Carolina gives Buffalo a solid #2 WR that will provide the receptions to move the chains. He was an incredibly productive receiver with 399 career receptions in college.<\/p>\n

I loved the pick of BC LB Matt Milano, who flies all over the field and will play special teams. But moving up for RT Dion Dawkins? Seemed like a reach and there wasn\u2019t really a need to move up. Time will tell. The pick of QB Nathan Peterman from Pittsburgh was another nice move. He\u2019ll push Cardale Jones for a roster spot.<\/p>\n

Miami Grabs Nice Edge Rusher in Harris:
\n<\/strong>The Miami Dolphins first pick in the draft was Missouri DE Charles Harris, who we really liked in the pre-draft process. He fits an obvious need and should fit right in with the Dolphins defense.<\/p>\n

Another excellent pick in Round 2 was Ohio State LB Raekwon McMillian. He filled a position of need at ILB where the team will eventually decide to replace Koa Misi. He\u2019s solid, and an excellent player against the run.<\/p>\n

Round 3 CB Cordrea Tankersley from Clemson gives them the length they needed at the position. He should compete for reps on Day 1. Isaac Assiata was another good pick. The OL was a place the Dolphins needed to upgrade and he\u2019s a good choice. An excellent run blocker, he\u2019ll need to work on his pass protection. A very good draft for the Dolphins.<\/p>\n

Jets Snag Two Safeties Early:
\n<\/strong>The New York Jets double-dipped at the safety position with two good selections who fell right into their lap at the #6 and #39 positions respectively with Jamal Adams from LSU and Marcus Maye from Florida. The Jets had an obvious need there and those two should step right in and compete.<\/p>\n

They then double-dipped at WR with Ar\u2019Darrius Stewart and Chad Hansen but their sleeper pick is Jordan Leggett, TE from Clemson who has the tools to be a very good one in the NFL. But the biggest question still isn\u2019t answered. Who is going to be the QB?<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process, Belichick added.\u201d \u201cHopefully we’ve been able to improve our team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":10128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1339,11],"tags":[1334,1451,1333,1450,34,1353,1453,1452,1449,868,14,1355,15,1219,13,35],"class_list":["post-11504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2017-nfl-draft","category-patriots-commentary","tag-2017-nfl-draft","tag-2017-patriots-draft","tag-2017-patriots-season","tag-antonio-garcia","tag-bill-belichick","tag-brandin-cooks","tag-connor-mcdermott","tag-deatrich-wise","tag-derek-rivers","tag-dwayne-allen","tag-jimmy-garoppolo","tag-kony-ealy","tag-malcolm-butler","tag-mike-gillislee","tag-tom-brady","tag-trey-flowers"],"yoast_head":"\nNew England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cThe four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process, Belichick added.\u201d \u201cHopefully we've been able to improve our team,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThe four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process, Belichick added.\u201d \u201cHopefully we've been able to improve our team,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-30T09:00:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-04-30T11:13:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1711&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1711\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Balestrieri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SteveB7SFG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Steve Balestrieri\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da\"},\"headline\":\"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-30T09:00:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-30T11:13:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1647,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2017 NFL Draft\",\"2017 Patriots Draft\",\"2017 Patriots Season\",\"Antonio Garcia\",\"Bill Belichick\",\"Brandin Cooks\",\"Connor McDermott\",\"Deatrich Wise\",\"Derek Rivers\",\"Dwayne Allen\",\"Jimmy Garoppolo\",\"Kony Ealy\",\"Malcolm Butler\",\"Mike Gillislee\",\"Tom Brady\",\"Trey Flowers\"],\"articleSection\":[\"2017 NFL Draft\",\"Patriots Commentary\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/\",\"name\":\"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-30T09:00:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-30T11:13:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"\u201cThe four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process, Belichick added.\u201d \u201cHopefully we've been able to improve our team,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1711,\"caption\":\"Steve Balestrieri - PatsFans.com\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2017\\\/04\\\/30\\\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"2017 NFL Draft\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/2017-nfl-draft\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"description\":\"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"PatsFans.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/patsfans\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@patsfans.official\"],\"foundingDate\":\"2000-06-17\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da\",\"name\":\"Steve Balestrieri\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Steve Balestrieri\"},\"description\":\"A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/steve.balestrieri\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SteveB7SFG\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/sbalestrieri\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes","description":"\u201cThe four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process, Belichick added.\u201d \u201cHopefully we've been able to improve our team,","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes | PatsFans.com","og_description":"\u201cThe four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process, Belichick added.\u201d \u201cHopefully we've been able to improve our team,","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri","article_published_time":"2017-04-30T09:00:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-04-30T11:13:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1711,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1711&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Balestrieri","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SteveB7SFG","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/"},"author":{"name":"Steve Balestrieri","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da"},"headline":"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes","datePublished":"2017-04-30T09:00:50+00:00","dateModified":"2017-04-30T11:13:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/"},"wordCount":1647,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg","keywords":["2017 NFL Draft","2017 Patriots Draft","2017 Patriots Season","Antonio Garcia","Bill Belichick","Brandin Cooks","Connor McDermott","Deatrich Wise","Derek Rivers","Dwayne Allen","Jimmy Garoppolo","Kony Ealy","Malcolm Butler","Mike Gillislee","Tom Brady","Trey Flowers"],"articleSection":["2017 NFL Draft","Patriots Commentary"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/","name":"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2017-04-30T09:00:50+00:00","dateModified":"2017-04-30T11:13:03+00:00","description":"\u201cThe four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process, Belichick added.\u201d \u201cHopefully we've been able to improve our team,","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1711,"caption":"Steve Balestrieri - PatsFans.com"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/04\/30\/new-england-patriots-news-4-30-afc-east-notes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"2017 NFL Draft","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/category\/2017-nfl-draft\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"New England Patriots News 4-30, AFC East Notes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","name":"PatsFans.com","description":"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization","name":"PatsFans.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"PatsFans.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","https:\/\/x.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/patsfans\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patsfans.official"],"foundingDate":"2000-06-17"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da","name":"Steve Balestrieri","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Steve Balestrieri"},"description":"A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri","https:\/\/x.com\/SteveB7SFG"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/sbalestrieri\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2016-Week-17-gillette-stadium-ZWfWs-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11504"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11509,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11504\/revisions\/11509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}