6 rings & Football things: Reacting to Eliot Wolf's pre-draft press conference
As the Patriots get set to embark on their most important draft weekend in over 20 years, de facto general manager Eliot Wolf has made one thing abundantly clear: They're open for business.
"We're open to anything," Wolf explained at his pre-draft press conference on Thursday about New England's plans with the No. 3 overall pick. "Moving up, moving down. We're open for business in the first round and in every round."
He continued: "We have some holes we feel like we need to fill in the draft and, you know we're a 'draft and develop' team. The more picks we have the better. But if there's an opportunity to move up and strike if the board kind of recommends it, then we won't be afraid to pull the trigger on that either."
The Vikings (picks No. 11, 23), Giants (No. 6), and Raiders (No. 11) are teams that have been rumored to want to trade up for a quarterback next Thursday.
But the Patriots need a quarterback too, a position Wolf said they'd be comfortable drafting with the No. 3 overall pick.
"It's a long-term decision," the de facto GM explained when asked how they have the top quarterbacks ranked and if it's indicative on how they'll play immediately or their ability to develop. "...We look at upside, not just at the first pick but at every pick. We look at upside and try to build out. We have players-- positions where we think we need to supplement now, kind of plug-and-play type players, and we have other positions where we feel like we can, you know draft and develop those people."
Wolf was also asked if he thinks there's an incorrect narrative about the talent (or lack thereof) New England has on offense, and if it can support a rookie quarterback:
"I do," he explained. I read a lot of that storyline. I'm not really sure what that means. We have a solid offensive line, we re-signed Mike Onwenu we have David Andrews coming back. We have three rookies that we drafted last year that are coming back. We signed [Chukwuma] Okorafor from the Steelers. Hunter Henry, a good running game, a solid foundation and a solid system in place with coach Van Pelt on the offense. So I feel like, I definitely feel like we can support."
"We have NFL receivers," Wolf later said about the offense. "We have NFL tight ends. we have NFL running backs. We have NFL offensive lineman. We feel good about where we are."
Overall, Wolf's tenor and willingness to peel back the curtain on where he feels the team is at was yet another breath of fresh air into the new regime that is the 2024 Patriots.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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