Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Wednesday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
One quick note before we jump into things this morning -- we're scheduled to talk with first-round pick N'Keal Harry Thursday afternoon at Gillette Stadium prior to the start of rookie minicamp, which will run May 10-12.
Now, on with the links:
1. Talked to Pete Alamar, Stanford’s special teams coach, on what makes punter Jake Bailey so special as to warrant a fifth-round pick via a team that already had a veteran punter in place in Ryan Allen. He described Bailey as having a unique skill set. “Jake has phenomenal leg speed. He can generate a lot of speed at the point of impact and he can control it,” he said. “It’s like a swing in baseball — guys have that bat speed, but they can’t control their swing. Jake has the power and the control.”
2. Miguel’s latest takes a look at the financial impact of Jared Valdheer’s planned signing with New England.
3. Cleveland’s Odell Beckham said he wants to help turn the Browns into the “new Patriots.”
4. Our pal Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus says the Patriots added key building blocks at some important spots in the middle rounds of the draft. He writes: “The mid-round picks may be the story of the draft, as (Chase) Winovich and the offensive linemen have a chance to start in the coming years, while (Jarrett) Stidham’s development will determine how the Patriots approach the quarterback position as Brady heads into his 42-year-old season.”
5. Rex Burkhead met the media Tuesday at Gillette Stadium.
6. Kyle Van Noy did the same.
From 1934 until 1976, the NFL champions played the college all-stars at Soldier Field. This was the final game in 1976. It did not go well. Torrential rain and lightning ended the game in the 3rd quarter. The #Steelers won 24-0. pic.twitter.com/mkGlBBMKQx
— Ƒunhouse (@BackAftaThis) May 2, 2019