{"id":865894,"date":"2026-04-14T01:51:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/865894\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T01:51:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:51:41","slug":"7-patriots-takeaways-from-eliot-wolfs-presser-before-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/865894\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Patriots takeaways from Eliot Wolf\u2019s presser before 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNew England Patriots\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t“Whatever way we can possibly improve the team, we\u2019re open to.”<\/p>\n

\"Eliot
\n\tEliot Wolf and the Patriots are prepping for the 2026 NFL Draft. AP Photo\/Charles Krupa\t<\/p>\n

With the start of the 2026 NFL Draft just 10 days away, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf fielded multiple questions from the media on Monday about the state of the franchise and their plans at this juncture of the offseason.<\/p>\n

Wolf touched on several topics during his press conference from New England\u2019s new team facility \u2014 the New Balance Athletics Center \u2014 including what the Patriots might target with their 11 draft picks, Mike Vrabel<\/a>\u2019s status, and other offseason developments.<\/p>\n

Here are seven takeaways from Monday\u2019s presser:<\/p>\n

A trade up?<\/p>\n

Even with New England making a surprise run to Super Bowl LX in February, the Patriots still have several areas of their depth chart that could use an upgrade this offseason.<\/p>\n

When it comes to their first-round pick (No. 31 overall), the Patriots could shore up their offensive tackle depth, add an intriguing prospect at wide receiver or tight end, or inject a starter on defense at defensive line, safety, linebacker, or another position.<\/p>\n

Given the glut of picks that New England possesses, could Wolf and his staff package some of that draft capital in order to move up?<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I mean, we\u2019re open to anything. Whatever way we can possibly improve the team, we\u2019re open to,\u201d Wolf said. \u201cWe have 11 picks. Most of those are kind of later in the draft, but we do have some flexibility with those 11 picks, and I think it\u2019ll depend a little bit on how the board falls.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we view that there\u2019s a player \u2014 whether he\u2019s falling or there\u2019s somebody that we think we need to go get, we\u2019ll be open to those opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

After two straight seasons in which New England had a top-five pick (No. 3 overall in 2024 & No. 4 overall in 2025), the team will have to wait much longer to land on the clock.\u200b<\/p>\n

Even though the Patriots have developed a track record of trading down on Draft Day, they have also reaped the benefits at times when trading up.<\/p>\n

During the 2012 NFL Draft, New England traded up to select both Chandler Jones (No. 21 overall) and Dont\u2019a Hightower (No. 25 overall).<\/p>\n

\u201cBusiness as usual\u201d with Vrabel<\/p>\n

While most of the discourse regarding Vrabel over the past week has revolved around off-the-field rumors and tabloid photos, Wolf said on Monday that New England\u2019s head coach remains engaged in helping him and his staff sort through the hundreds of prospects who could be available when the Patriots land on the clock.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cVery involved,\u201d Wolf said of Vrabel\u2019s participation leading up to draft. \u201cBusiness as usual. He\u2019s been in there with us, this round of meetings, probably a little bit more than he was last year. The coaching staff, he\u2019s \u2013 this is me putting words in his mouth \u2013 probably more comfortable just from where things stand from that standpoint.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cBut he\u2019s been in there. He\u2019s been contributing. He\u2019s watched a ton of the players. I think he tries to watch every player that we give each position coach \u2014 he tries to watch the whole, what we call, \u2018the coach\u2019s list.\u2019 He has an opinion on these guys. It\u2019s helpful.\u200b\u201d<\/p>\n

Vrabel has been at the center of controversy after photos published by the New York Post\u2019s gossip column, Page Six, showed the Patriots head coach with The Athletic\u2019s Dianna Russini at a resort in Sedona, Arizona.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,\u201d Vrabel said of the photos<\/a> in a statement to the New York Post. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t deserve any further response.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Katie Robertson of The New York Times<\/a>, The Athletic is investigating the conduct of Russini in regard to those photos with Vrabel, with the NFL insider not reporting on football while her coverage is being reviewed.<\/p>\n

Door remains open for an A.J. Brown trade<\/p>\n

Another day, another question posed to Wolf and the Patriots about a potential trade involving Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.<\/p>\n

While the writing remains on the wall that New England won\u2019t pull off a trade for the All-Pro wideout until after June 1, <\/a>Wolf again didn\u2019t rule out the possibility of the Patriots bolstering this roster now that the free-agency feeding frenzy has quieted down.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as players on other teams, again, going to keep the door open to anything that we think may improve our roster, whether that\u2019s with the player you mentioned or other players,\u201d Wolf said.<\/p>\n

Strengths and weaknesses in this draft class<\/p>\n

Given how many kicks at the can that New England will have during the 2026 NFL Draft, Wolf was asked about the strengths and weaknesses in this current draft class.<\/p>\n

Considering New England\u2019s needs at the line of scrimmage, this crop of prospects should present plenty of value for the Patriots\u2019 roster-building efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I think it\u2019s a pretty strong draft on the offensive and defensive line,\u201d Wolf said. \u201cSecondary, maybe not as much. Receiver and tight end are pretty good in comparison to some of the recent years. So, yeah, we\u2019re excited about some of these opportunities, and there\u2019s some matchups to some positions of need for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on Wolf\u2019s comments, don\u2019t be surprised if New England targets linebackers with the team\u2019s haul of Day 3 picks.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I think it\u2019s solid,\u201d Wolf said of the linebacker group in this draft class. \u201cI think it\u2019s probably a little bit similar to the way it was last year. Maybe, for me at least, I thought it was going to be a little bit better than maybe it\u2019s that\u2019s come out, but I do think it\u2019s a good position Day 3 from a depth standpoint. I think there\u2019s a lot of players that you could justify using a day 3 pickup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bolstering the edge<\/p>\n

While New England has been linked to both offensive tackles and wide receivers with the No. 31 pick, Wolf once again reinforced that the Patriots need to bolster their pass-rushing corps over the next week.<\/p>\n

The Patriots signed Dre\u2019Mont Jones during the offseason, but K\u2019Lavon Chaisson also left in free agency, signing a one-year contract with the Commanders.<\/p>\n

\u200bOnly six teams recorded fewer sacks than the Patriots (35.0) during the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cYeah, we could complement our room with some speed. I think I think that\u2019s evident,\u201d Wolf said. Dre\u2019Mont and Harold [Landry] and Elijah [Ponder] and some of the other guys we have, they all have their skill sets. We would like to get faster.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cYou know, Dre\u2019Mont\u2019s a guy that can play across the line, run games. I mean, he can sneakily beat you with speed, but that\u2019s probably not his bread and butter. And that\u2019s an area that we\u2019re looking, again, looking to try to improve the depth on the roster.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n

Moses expected to play in 2026<\/p>\n

One of the main reasons why offensive tackle remains a top draft priority for New England isn\u2019t just rooted in the mixed results put forth by Will Campbell in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u200bIt has to do with the future of New England\u2019s starting right tackle, Morgan Moses. While the veteran was a steadying presence on the field and a key locker-room voice last season, he turned 35 years old in March.<\/p>\n

\u200bDespite the wear and tear and Moses\u2019 previous injury woes prior to his time in New England, Wolf said on Monday that Moses is expected to play in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cYes. That\u2019s our expectation,\u201d Wolf said. \u201cI texted Morgan. It was probably closer to the Combine. Just saying hi. But, yeah, I know Coach Vrabel\u2019s in contact with him. And, yeah, no indication that he\u2019s looking to move on, and I think he\u2019s excited about coming back up here and getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bEven with Moses back in the fold, New England could target an offensive tackle like Max Iheanachor<\/a> in the first or second round of the draft in order to bring in a prospect who could eventually succeed Moses as the team\u2019s starting right tackle in 2027 and beyond.\u200b<\/p>\n

All quiet on Gonzalez contract talks<\/p>\n

\u200bEven though star cornerback Christian Gonzalez still has one year left on his rookie contract in New England, the Patriots have the ability to extend him this offseason to a new, long-term deal \u2014 rather than kick the can down the road by only exercising his fifth-year option for the 2027 campaign.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez undoubtedly factors into New England\u2019s long-term plans, especially coming off a dominant performance in Super Bowl LX.<\/p>\n

But, so far, Wolf has remained mum on any talk of progress between the parties.<\/p>\n

\u200bA new contract for Gonzalez would undoubtedly make him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cNo Gonzalez update other than I\u2019ll continue to publicly say that we want Christian here,\u201d Wolf said. \u201cAnd again, he\u2019s under contract, so we would expect that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.<\/p>\n

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