The New England Patriots are a week removed from one of the franchise’s most important NFL drafts in recent memory. This new regime, led by executive Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo, is tasked with taking the franchise into a new era and armed with the No. 3 overall pick. Mayo and owner Robert Kraft previously acknowledged that the team was willing to move the selection if the right deal was made and Eliot echoed those thoughts when he spoke to the media on Thursday.
“We’re open to anything,” Wolf said. “Up, down. We’re open for business in the first round and every round. We have some holes that we think we need to fill in the draft. We’re a draft and development team and the more picks there are, we have the best, but if there is an opportunity to move forward and strike if the board recommends it, we will not be afraid to pull the trigger either.
Wolf went on to say that the Patriots have had preliminary conversations with teams looking to move up to No. 3, but there hasn’t been a monster offer so far. He also noted that he didn’t think New England’s first pick — whether No. 3 or elsewhere after a potential trade — should be a quarterback. That said, he believes there will be a quarterback on the board who is worthy of the third overall pick.
Although the team has yet to hold its final meeting regarding the draft, Wolf said he believes there is a “general idea” among New England’s top decision-makers about what they think of the best potential quarterbacks.
In its latest simulated version, Jonathan Jones, CBS Sports’ top NFL insider the Patriots remain third overall and select UNC quarterback Drake Maye.