FOXBOROUGH – Around 12:15 on Friday on a perfect day to take a stroll around Patriots’ Place, one fan sat on a bench with a ‘Welcome Drake’ sign. By the time Maye, Jonathan and Robert Kraft walked out of the home team tunnel and onto the field for his introductory press conference and official jersey photo op, about 20-30 fans lined the gate outside the stadium cheering and whistling. A…

FOXBOROUGH – Weeks ago. That’s how long the Patriots have known they’re taking Drake Maye at No. 3. Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo met with the media minutes after selecting the big UNC quarterback and ultimately, the next face of the franchise – for three years at least. While fans and media members wrestled with the future of the highest pick the Patriots have had since 1993, those inside the…

Mike Reiss is arguably the most plugged-in media member this area has had since Will McDonough. So, it’s no surprise that Reiss had three interesting little nuggets of reporting on Thursday morning just hours before the biggest draft for the Patriots since 1993. The nugget about No. 34 is interesting since that pick has been linked quite a bit to a possible trade for Tee Higgins. But, if New England…

Image courtesy of New England Patriots  Ok. Let’s get away from the current draft for a minute or two. It’s all been talked to death and we’ll finally know the future of the franchise in just over 24 hours. In the mean time, it is pretty crazy to sit back and think about how long this fan base got to go without having to worry about screwing up a Top…

Image courtesy of Sports Business Journal The draft week rumor mill is pumping out some good stuff already. On Monday afternoon just before 2:00, Dianna Russini reported that the Patriots were taking calls on the No. 3 pick and while Eliot Wolf was ‘running point,’ Jonathan Kraft is ‘heavily involved’ in deciding the future of New England’s highest draft choice since 1993. Should he be? Of course, to a certain…

Image courtesy of Matt Slocum/Associated Press That didn’t take long. What, like, two months? Matt Slater is still a football guy at heart and a lifetime Patriot. So, it’s only fitting that the guy who was instrumental in maintaining culture in Foxborough for years is going to have the chance to help implement a fresher one in the Jerod Mayo era. ESPN’s Mike Weiss reported over the weekend that Slater…