Not Ready For QB Prospect? Patriots’ Eliot Wolf Pushes Back On Storyline

FOXBORO, Mass. — One core belief of those who think the Patriots should trade down in the 2024 NFL Draft is that New England’s roster is not ready for a developmental quarterback.

Those who believe it to be the case point to New England’s needs at offensive tackle and wide receiver, two positions which go a long way for a young signal-caller.

Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf doesn’t agree with the narrative.

“I read a lot of that storyline,” Wolf said during a pre-draft press conference at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. “I’m not really sure what that means.”

Wolf expressed his belief in the roster. He mentioned how the Patriots re-signed offensive tackle Mike Onwenu, returned center David Andrews, signed veteran offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and have three linemen entering their sophomore seasons. Because of that offensive line, along with tight end Hunter Henry and a good running game, Wolf believes the Patriots are in a position to support and develop a young quarterback.

“I definitely feel like we can support that,” Wolf said.

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Wolf’s comments were in line with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. Both Kraft and Mayo said they feel like the improved structure of the coaching staff, including new hires like offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney and senior advisor Ben McAdoo, will benefit a young quarterback should New England go that route.

Wolf shared his belief in those three, as well. And it’s clear Wolf feels the Patriots’ roster is much better than some on the outside believe it is. He thinks it’s being underestimated.

“We have NFL receivers, we have NFL tight ends, we have NFL running backs, we have NFL offensive linemen,” Wolf said. “We feel good about where we are and we feel through free agency, on the offensive side in particular, that we’ve been able to supplement our roster properly, so we’re not having to draft for need as much offensively.”

None of this is to say the Patriots absolutely will draft a first-round quarterback at the NFL draft on April 25. Wolf said the Patriots are “open for business” when it comes to trading down, and shared his belief that a first-round quarterback is not the only direction New England could go.

But if the Patriots don’t select a quarterback, it’s apparently not because Wolf doesn’t think the roster is ready.