If the New England Patriots were expecting to enter a major rebuild when Mike Vrabel took over as the team’s head coach, it went much quicker than anyone could have expected, going to the Super Bowl in his first season. Now, they need to find a way to build on that success.
The next step to building on that success is to put together a successful NFL Draft. That’s where there’s some debate, in particular with what to do with their first-round pick, be it what position to draft or whether or not the Patriots should trade the pick.
Patriots EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf is aware of the pressure on him and doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned. That, as he recently shared, could even mean trading up in the first round of the NFL Draft.
“We’re open to anything,” Wolf said. “Whatever way we can possibly improve the team, we’re open to. We have 11 picks. Most of those are kind of later in the draft, but we do have some flexibility with those 11 picks. I think it’ll depend a little bit on how the board falls. If we view that there’s a player that whether he’s falling or there’s somebody that we think we need to go get, we’ll be open to those opportunities.”
The New England Patriots’ Biggest Needs Ahead of the NFL Draft
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
Even coming off a run to the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots have several clear and obvious needs. Now, Boston Herald writer Doug Kyed broke down those needs, sharing a ranking of the biggest needs that the Patriots will need to address in the NFL Draft. Ahead of everything else was edge rusher.
“The Patriots enter the week before the draft with a rebuilt room of outside linebackers. Gone are K’Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings. Dre’Mont Jones and Jesse Luketa have replaced them alongside Harold Landry, Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson,” Kyed wrote. “The Patriots could, technically, go into the season with Jones and Landry as starters and hope for second-year leaps out of Ponder and Swinson, but that feels incredibly risky.”
Clearly, there is some level of need at edge rusher. With a lot of talented pass rushers in this draft, there could easily be one who the Patriots want to take in the first round. It’s not the only important position for New England and Wolf to address, though. Wide receiver and offensive tackle are also key positions to add.
When it comes to wide receiver, the question is about replacing Stefon Diggs. That could end up being A.J. Brown, but he’s still on the Philadelphia Eagles, and that won’t likely change during the NFL Draft. Meanwhile, tackle is set in the interim, but long-term, will need to replace veteran Morgan Moses at right tackle.
Potential Options for the Patriots’ First-Round Pick
GettyNew England Patriots EVP Eliot Wolf
One thing Eliot Wolf and the Patriots have is plenty of options. Several recent mock drafts have made that abundantly clear.
A common option in mock drafts has seen them trade down, rather than trading up. Often, that trade would be done with the Arizona Cardinals, who are looking to rebuild their own roster.
If New England sticks with the pick at No. 31, there is plenty of debate about what to do with it. However, those positions of need do consistently come up. Edge rushers, like Zion Young, T.J. Parker, and Cashius Howell commonly come up. Then, there are tackles like Blake Miller and Caleb Lomu. Even wide receivers, including KC Concepcion, have made appearances.
Ultimately, it’s still a mystery what the Patriots do with the pick. If Wolf nails it, though, then there is a chance that it could alter the future of the franchise.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Patriots EVP Eliot Wolf Opened the Door to Potentially Trade Up in the NFL Draft appeared first on Heavy Sports.