Matt Patricia is back in New England, but he's not returning to his old job as Patriots defensive coordinator.
Patricia's new role with his old team is a nebulous "consultant" position that includes responsibilities on the personnel side of the organization.
Among them: scouting draft prospects.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on Thursday said Patricia has been "heavily involved" in the Patriots' draft prep. Patricia also assisted New England's personnel department during free agency by negotiating and finalizing some player contracts, according to multiple reports.
Patricia previously worked on the Patriots' coaching staff from 2004 through 2017, including six seasons as the team's DC. The Detroit Lions hired him as their head coach in February 2018 but fired him midway through his third season after he'd compiled a 13-29-1 record. Two months later, the 46-year-old returned to New England.
But while Patricia has assisted in this year's pre-draft process, spearheading that effort is the trio of Dave Ziegler, Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh.
"Dave Ziegler, Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh have really carried the ball on this," Belichick said in his pre-draft video conference. "They’ve done a ton of work, and their respective staffs that they oversee, as well. But in particular, those three guys have really done a tremendous amount of work, evaluation, organization and have done a great job of putting things together. So it’s been great to spend a lot of time with them and to go through the process."
Ziegler, the Patriots' assistant director of player personnel last season, was promoted following the departure of director of player personnel Nick Caserio, who left to become general manager of the Houston Texans. Ziegler now is the Patriots' top personnel man behind Belichick, though the team has yet to announce his new title.
Wolf joined the Patriots organization as a scouting consultant last offseason after stints with the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns. Groh is entering his 11th season with New England and third as a national scout.
Both have attended pro days of prominent quarterback prospects this year, with Wolf reportedly traveling to BYU for Zach Wilson's and Groh visiting North Dakota State for Trey Lance's. Wolf also represented the Patriots at Justin Fields' first Ohio State pro day, and Groh and Ziegler were on hand for his second, along with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The Patriots, who were unusually active in free agency, enter the 2021 NFL Draft with 10 total picks, beginning with No. 15 overall. Their perceived positions of need include QB, cornerback, wide receiver, offensive tackle and safety.
"We’ll try to be as well-prepared as we possibly can heading into draft weekend and see what our opportunities are and do the best we can to improve the team," Belichick said. "Like we always do -- same goals every year.”
