New England Patriots links 7/03/25 - Positional analysis: Linebackers
Pats Pulpit
Daily news and links for Thursday
TEAM TALK
Patriots Catch-22:Latest NFL news, trade candidates, best available free agents. (2 hours)
LOCAL LINKS
Mark Morse analyzes the Patriots 90 man roster by position: Part 3 – Linebackers. Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Jahvani Tavai, Jack Gibbens, Monty Rice, Cam Riley, Marte Mapu, Kyle Dugger. ‘In a very surprising ranking, the Patriots Linebacker group was ranked #3 in the league by Pro Football Focus. Only Philadelphia and Los Angelas Rams were ranked ahead of the Pats.’ /More.
Mike D’Abate points out how the Pats have a group of agile, athletic linebackers who are expected to thrive in the new aggressive new style of defense in 2025.
Mike D’Abate notes undrafted rookie WR Efton Chism III has been training with former NFL receiver and coach Michael Bumpus, who had great things to say about this hard-working “GEM” on the roster.
Ian Logue’s Patriots News: What will the McDaniels effect be?
Sara Marshall calls the Patriots philosophy of releasing or trading nearly every player that has been a pillar of the team for several years a bold move that might not have been a wise decision in the first year of Vrabel’s tenure, especially since it then puts a lot of pressure on the young core to lead the team much earlier than expected.
Thomas Valentine mentions Drake Maye was ranked 4th on a list of all the second-year quarterbacks, ahead of J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr.
Matthew Schmidt highlights James White calling out the Dolphins for trading away TE Jonnu Smith.
NATIONAL NEWS
Ben Solak (ESPN) The best NFL draft pick ever at every slot from No. 1 to 262. Patriots: 23. Ty Law, 25. Dont’a Hightower, 41. Andre Tippett, 42. Rob Gronkowski, 78. Joe Thuney, 87. Tim Goad, 116. Steve Grogan, 124. Ben Coates, 164. Dan Koppen, 198. Troy Brown, 199. Tom Brady “It was a close one between Brady and Ephraim Salaam, a 13-year journeyman at right tackle...” 232. Julian Edelman. /Click for commentary.
Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Top 2025 NFL players by jersey number. No 48 Jahlani Tavai, No. 81 Austin Hooper.
Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) NFL offseason power rankings: No. 20 Pittsburgh Steelers find another stopgap QB in Aaron Rodgers.
Tyler Dragon (USA Today) NFL rookies to watch: Ashton Jeanty headlines most explosive players in 2025. No Pats.
Chad Reuter (NFL.com) Seven-round NFL mock draft of active players for 2025 season: Every team’s full set of win-now picks. /Weird, but it IS the offseason.
Bill Barnwell (ESPN) NFL ‘Bag’ Hall of Fame: Players who maximized contract leverage. No Pats.
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