Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Friday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
We're going to get right into the links this morning because we have a lot of good stuff that's really worth your time.
Now, on with the links...
1. Took part in the annual Patriots' Hall of Fame nomination committee meeting Thursday at Gillette, and have a ton of details worth sharing -- including who I voted for and why. Check it all out here.
2. If the Patriots can't make it work with Stephen Gostkowski, Cole Tracy could be a possibility. And, he has local roots: he's a former Assumption standout who had a terrific year last season at Louisiana State. He's considered the best kicker in this year's draft. Our pal Kevin Faulk likes him, saying he really took off after last year's LSU-Auburn game. “He works really hard,” Faulk said. “But after that Auburn game, you saw he had that confidence and focus. It’s one thing for a kicker to be confident in his own abilities, but when he gains that sort of confidence from his teammates and the coaching staff, that’s a wrap.”
3. Spent some quality time with my buddy Bob Kemp of NBC Sports Radio on Thursday talking about the Patriots' offseason.
4. We saw a few AAF players sign with NFL teams on Thursday -- with the draft looming, it's going to be interesting to see how much (if at all) the sudden glut of available players impacts NFL team-building this spring.
Comparison of Marshall, North Texas, and Jets jerseys. pic.twitter.com/PiL3Zhfz0E
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) April 5, 2019