Eliot Wolf, Patriots ‘Open For Business’ If Trade Presented In NFL Draft
FOXBORO — Eliot Wolf, much like both first-year head coach Jerod Mayo and owner Robert Kraft did before him, kept the door open on the New England Patriots trading back in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Wolf, the de facto general manager who will have final say on draft night, classified trade talks as “ongoing.”
“We’re open to anything — moving up, moving down,” Wolf said during a pre-draft press conference at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. “We’re open for business in the first round and in every round.
“We have some holes we feel we have to fill in the draft. And 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 recommends it, then we won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on that either.”
Wolf previously said all options were on the table for the Patriots when he met with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. Mayo told reporters at the annual league meeting the Patriots would have to consider a trade down if another team offered a “bag” for the third overall pick.
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Asked about some of the scenarios that could present themselves when the Patriots are on the clock at No. 3, Wolf said New England’s brass has run through some of those options. Teams around the league also have placed calls to the Patriots and shared potential trade packages.
“There have been conversations that have taken place,” Wolf said.
The Minnesota Vikings, who have two first-round picks, are viewed around the league as a trade-up candidate. So are the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, two teams in need of a long-term solution at quarterback. Wolf did not indicate which team(s) the Patriots have spoken to.
Wolf also said he does not feel like quarterback has to be the pick if the Patriots remain at third overall. But should the Patriots select a quarterback in that spot, as many believe they will, Wolf believes there is a general consensus on how New England’s decision-makers feel.