Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf spoke to the media today at the combine. Here's a full transcript and a few quickie thoughts....
LIVE: Eliot Wolf from the NFL Combine: https://t.co/2sQv0m3Eeu
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 26, 2025
Introduction
Welcome to another combine. It's great to be back here in Indianapolis. This is my 31st combine, started coming here in 1994 when I was 11 years old. So, you know, it's really cool to see how this thing has developed and grown in a lot of ways.
It's been really cool and rewarding so far, working with Coach Vrabel. He has a lot of great ideas, a vision for the team, an effort that we're all working together. He's met with the scouts, he's met with me, he's met with everybody, and it's all authentic and genuine, and it's really good to see just how he's developed, and how we're all going to develop this thing together moving forward.
That being said, last season, ultimately, the roster was on me. We were 4-13. Just didn't get enough done. Certainly, the free agency class didn't live up to our expectations. The draft class, you know, it's too soon to tell, but we were expecting a bigger impact from some of those guys, and we're still hopeful that they'll get to that point. We're excited about Drake Maye. We're excited about working with Coach Vrabel, and everything that we're doing is to improve this football team and getting to where we need to go. The fans, understanding their frustrations, I share those frustrations. It's been difficult. Every hit on Jacoby or Drake during the season, I felt responsible for that. Just ultimately, we didn't get enough done up front. The game is always won on the lines, offensive line, defensive line, not just because of the Super Bowl, it's always been that way. And ultimately, just didn't do enough to improve the roster, to get it to where we need it to be. So that being said, again, just really excited about Coach Vrabel and the direction and vision that he's provided, and working together with these guys and getting this thing going.
Fourth pick in the draft?
Yeah, I mean, it's an advantageous position. I'd say there's maybe less clarity this year about what's going to happen in front of us. But, you know, there's some good players available, and we're open anything. We're open to moving down, we're open to moving up, we're open to sitting there and picking just whatever the case may be in terms of making the team better, whatever
Improving the roster
Absolutely, yeah, I think it's definitely advantageous to try to build that roster out and get as much, as much as we can, whether that's the middle class of the roster, upper class, there's only so many elite free agents and there's probably 27 teams looking at those guys. Certainly, we feel like we're a more attractive destination this year than we were last year. And we're excited to fill those to fill the roster out and get the depth and, you know, get to where we need to be, so we can use that pick on the best player available.
Last year you said you had the final say, is it still that way?
Yeah, it's similar. You know, I would just say, like, listening to Coach Vrabel, like, there's not a lot of GMs, or people in my position in this business that are going to force players on coaching staffs. Certainly the best decisions are made together. And going to continue to work with Mike and Ryan and Stretch and the scouting staff, you know, Richard Miller, everybody to make those decisions the best we can for the team.
Your recruiting pitch going to revolve around Drake Maye?
Offensively quite a bit, but defensively some as well. Drake showed tremendous improvement throughout the season. There's still plenty of room to grow. But you know, having that guy in place is paramount to our success, and we're really excited about the future that he can bring to our organization.
Travis Hunter and how much can he potentially play on both sides of the ball in the NFL?
Travis Hunter is a tremendous prospect, as a number of these guys are. He's obviously been very unique, won the Heisman Trophy playing both ways. He's really unique and instinctive at both positions. So I think there's a scenario where, you know, he's probably going to major in one and minor in the other, but I think there's a scenario where he could play both ways.
Changing football landscape .. you see a distinct group of guys that might be more NFL-ready because they're more seasoned?
Yeah, I think every case can be different. Certainly the information that we can get now, instead of getting one information from one school and one pro liaison, a lot of these guys have transferred two, three times. So we're getting information from, you know, three different places, from their high school coaches, three different strength coaches. So, you know, just the information flow is better, and we feel more convicted in the information that we receive.
Just to clarify, do you have final say on the 53 man roster?
Ultimately, it's my final say. But again, Mike and I, again Mike said it yesterday, Mike wouldn't have taken this job and this is something we talked about in the interview process, Mike wouldn't have taken this job if we weren't comfortable with each other. There's not going to be Mike's guys or Eliot's guys, they are going to be Patriot guys, and we're excited to share the vision to work together to improve the roster.
On the offensive line. Where do you view Michael Onwenu?
I think ideally, Mike is a guard. But again, some of those decisions haven't been made yet. Obviously, Mike has played tackle for Josh. Doug Marrone, I don't believe he's even met him yet. So we're going to get to the point where we'll make the best decision for the team.
Do you need to know where he plays?
I think that would be, you know, certainly helpful to Mike and helpful to all of us as we develop a strategy moving forward.
Learned from how you operated last year?
I think maybe just being more thorough, you know, just some of the information that we got on some of the players wasn't as thorough as it needed to be. So I think just moving forward we have a tremendous opportunity with this coaching staff, like a lot of these guys have been other places. They're familiar with these guys, and just having that familiarity with players is going to be an advantage for us moving forward.
Rise of three techniques
I just think the ability to wreck a game. I mean, these guys that are elite up front, pushing the middle of the pocket, making the quarterback move, get off the spot like there's a premium on those guys and, and that's why you see some of these guys getting paid and being drafted earlier, and because the impact they can have on all three downs
Spending this offseason
Yeah, I mean, we're not going to be, you know, frivolous. We're going to do what we think is best. We have to do what's necessary. So last year we didn't do enough of what was necessary. This year, we have to do what's necessary to improve the team.
Weaponizing the offense, what went wrong with that process and how aggressive need to be to help?
I mean, we took some swings. And again, taking swings ultimately, isn't good enough. We went 4-13. We have to have results. And so, you know, we took some swings at some of those guys and came up short. And that's not an excuse. That's just what happened. So we need to continue to improve the roster, whether they're weapons, whether it's the line, whether it's the defense, just in all phases.
Cap space this offseason, do you expect to spend up to or close to up to the cap?
Again, I just think we're going to do what we have to do. I think it's probably not responsible to spend the whole thing. But again, that's not to say we won't do it if there's a player out there or obviously players out there that can fill a role for us.
Positions in this draft class, that maybe stand out above the rest.
I think it's really deep on the defensive line. I think it's really, really deep at running back, tight end is a good year. So, you know, those are some of the positions that stand out.
Last season had issues on the defensive spine. What's your outlook on that part of the defense moving forward?
Again, not an excuse, but unfortunately, losing Barmore, losing Bentley ... Dugger and Peppers had their issues with injuries and things during the season. So we're hopeful those guys are going to come back for us, and help stabilize that area. But again, we need to support them and develop the depth on the roster to be able to compete at a higher level.
How satisfied were you with Maye's year one development, and what are you looking for him to take that next step this offseason?
First of all, the person with Drake is phenomenal. He's a tremendous worker. He's a tremendous teammate. All of that's really genuine, and you can see the work and effort he put in and how his teammates gravitate to him. Those are all things that we're really looking forward to. Again, we won four games. Drake obviously did some good things, he made a lot of mistakes. I think he'd be the first one to tell you that. And so as we move forward, like it's just ... it's positive, but it's not where we need it to be.
Barmore's status
Yeah, we don't know for sure yet. The one thing we know, he's working out in Tampa right now, and that's going really well, from the reports we've gotten, he's doing everything in his power. He wants to play football, and that's one of the things I've always admired about Christian, is how passionate he is. He doesn't want to let anyone down, and he's passionate about getting back on the field.
Something Vrabel and the lines
I mean, again, I think it's about doing what's necessary. We need to improve the roster. It's not where we need it to be. I think everyone's aware of that. Whether that means aggression or having a plan or being able to pivot off, you know, this is number one. This is number two. This is number three. Like, just being able to pivot when something doesn't go as expected.
Cowden - how's it been working with him? And does he have any previous understanding of the kind of grading system that you guys have?
I've known Ryan for like 20 years. So he came up in Carolina, I came up in Green Bay, and for whatever reason, a lot of the Packer scouts and the Panther scouts kind of shared some of the same views. And I don't know if the grading scale was exactly the same, but it's something that he's worked in before. And again, I've always appreciated Ryan because he has a distinct opinion, like, he's not gonna waffle on anything, like, this is what it is, and that's been really rewarding to work with him so far. It's been good.
Free agency - how do you ensure you will do what's necessary given all of that competition?
Again, I think it's about pivoting. If you don't get plan one, then you go for plan two, and if you don't get plan two, you go for plan three. And I just think it's about keeping your options open, whether it's free agency, trade, draft. We didn't talk about the offensive line as a strong position in the draft, but, you know, I think as you get into the middle rounds, there's some strength there. So it's just about keeping your options open, being intentional about what you want to do.
You said you expected more of an impact out of the draft class last year. What do you have to do now to get that class back on track this year?
Some of those guys, you know, every rookie develops differently. Caden was progressing and he got hurt. Layden probably played a little bit more than we had expected when we drafted him. And obviously, you know, the receivers didn't have the production that we had hoped for. So you know, when you do watch practice and you do talk to these guys, they're the right kind of people, they work hard, they are talented, and sometimes, for whatever reason, you know, rookies just aren't ready to go. Again, it's not a guarantee, but we're hopeful that they'll continue working and get to be productive players for our team.
The NFLPA report card came out earlier today, patriots finished 31st of 32 teams.
Yeah, I heard that that came out right before I got up here. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.
Ja'Lynn Polk
I hate to use this analogy, but like, you know, in The Dark Knight when, like, the hero you need, isn't the hero that you have. He was a young player that came in, and he's mature, he's smart. I think organizationally, we maybe put too much on his plate early, and I think that really kind of stunted his growth a little bit. And he's aware of that, and we've talked about it, and he's going to continue to work hard and rehab and do the things that are necessary to improve
Ron Wolf
He stays on top. He watches the red zone every week. I send him the transactions every day. You know, he's got an iPad so he can watch our games when he so desires. I don't know how many watched last year. ... I do lean on him for advice. It's more about, you know, it's nothing specific to players or strategy. It's more just kind of big-picture leadership, things of that nature.
How do you value the wide receiver position when you look at quarterbacks that have succeeded in the past being top 10 picks, like Joe Burrow, they draft Jamar, Chase, Caleb Williams, they draft Roman Odunze. How do you value the receiver position, pre free agency, going into the rookie draft, and distracting specifically,
This draft? I think it's okay. I think this draft is probably a little meatier in the middle than it is at the top, in a lot of ways. I think the receiver position is probably reflective of that as well. So, you know, there's some players up there, not only up there but throughout the rounds that can help us.
BSJ ANALYSIS
- Obviously the headline is about who has final say. This is my read on it ...
Wolf has a contract that he signed last year and I think it's reasonable to assume it included language about his authority over the 90- or 53-man roster. You don't just tear up that contract after one year. So technically Wolf still has final say. I think the Krafts gave that to Vrabel and everyone knows. What's Wolf going to do when Vrabel tells him what to do, or Vrabel goes to ownership and says this is what we are going to do? What, is he going to sue the Krafts?
Vrabel has final say. Everyone knows it.
It's also my belief that the Krafts do like Wolf and the front office setup they started last year, and they asked Vrabel to keep things intact for a year. Vrabel can make whatever changes he wants after one year. Wolf likes his job, works well with others, and would like to keep his job. He's going to go along with anything Vrabel, Ryan Cowden and John "Stretch" Streicher — the real power trio now — want to do.
So I don't really care about what Wolf says, and what his contract might say ... there's a new sheriff in town.
- Sure sounds like Wolf doesn't like offensive line and receivers at the top of this draft. He talked up the middle class on both.
- Interesting comment on Polk. I think that goes to what I have long felt - the coaching did him no favors and he lost confidence.
- I have no issue with his comments on spending or the cap. They're not going to be stupid and they shouldn't be. But they better be a hell of a lot better than last year.
- I think one of the best assets the Patriots have this year is how many people have been other places recently, as Wolf pointed out, and that should be a huge asset compared to last year when it comes to signing free agents. And, lets be honest, a bulk of it is going to be the middle class variety, like the Commanders did last year with great success.