The Patriots' executive vice president of player personnel met with reporters in Indianapolis this week at the NFL combine, addressing rumors on their offseason moves after the Super Bowl loss earlier this month.
A Super Bowl loss for the New England Patriots means one thing: in a few months, they will have the 31st pick in the NFL Draft. As the weeks get closer to that selection process, many wonder if the Patriots plan to trade their first-round overall pick for something more meaningful to their rebound in 2026.
Eliot Wolf, the Patriots' VP of Player Personnel, spoke to reporters on Tuesday at the NFL Combine about the possibility of making that move on draft night. When asked, he showed no signs of secrecy.
“Yeah, we’re open to anything if we think it’s going to help the team both in the short and long term, then it’s something we’ll look at,” Wolf said during an interview with local reporters.
It seems that if a team wants to make an offer to the Patriots in the first round, and Wolf believes it can fill the team's need by offering up the pick. There would be no hesitation to do it.
The 31st overall pick was discussed for a moment on the Patriots Roundtable Podcast this week. It could be key in New England to trade for players from other teams who have been rumored to be interested in playing for Mike Vrabel. Names like AJ Brown or Maxx Crosby come to mind when the Patriots dangle their first-round pick as bait to get those players to make their way to Foxborough.
Wolf also acknowledged the need for an edge rusher on the team, and despite Crosby rumors, the draft is indeed loaded with edge rushers.
"Edge is obviously a need for the Patriots, so the depth/quality at that spot in the draft matches up nicely," Wolf said on Tuesday.
It's a long way to pick 31 on draft night, but some of the notable edge rushers could land in their lap on draft night. David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. are just a few of the standout edge rushers in the draft. If the Patriots have either player at 31 and keep the pick, why not improve the defense they already have?
Wolfe also hopped on The McShay Show with Todd McShay to talk about Will Campbell. The rumor of the team moving Campbell from left tackle to guard got squashed by the Wolf.
“We’re not moving him to guard," Wolfe said. "I would say three of his four worst games happen to come in the playoffs post-injury. He was healthy, but I think he’d be the first to tell you that maybe he wasn’t able to anchor the same way he had with the knee injury."
Wolf's defense of his first-round draft pick in 2025 was reassuring, as the pushback from Patriot fans was that Campbell was not being fully himself after the MCL injury. It's a fair point.
The Patriots have gone from being a team that drafted in the top five the last two years to the back end of each round. Still, pivotal moves will be needed to fill some of the holes on this team going forward.
You can bet Wolf knows that.
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