The New England Patriots may have landed their next franchise quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft, selecting Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick, but executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf seemed to admit that the rest of the draft was not as fruitful during an event for season ticket holders Sunday.
Maye looked incredibly promising in 12 starts last fall. The other quarterback that the Patriots drafted—big-armed sixth-rounder Joe Milton—also has potential. The other picks struggled: pass-catchers Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and Jaheim Bell combined for 15 receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns, offensive linemen Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson eached finished with poor Pro Football Focus grades in the 40s and the lone defensive player, cornerback Marcellas Dial, finished with 12 tackles and a forced fumble.
Wolf says the team may have focused too much on drafting for need a year ago, and while it resulted in Maye, he says New England will go back to the tried and true strategy of taking the best player available—even if the program has the opportunity to fill a clear hole.
“No, we don’t [feel compelled to draft for need]," Wolf said, via MassLive. "The best player available is going to be the way it is. Maybe we went for need a little bit too much last year. Obviously that culminated in us drafting Drake Maye, so it wasn’t all bad.
“But, just moving forward, it’s taking the best player, and understanding that we’ve filled a lot of needs already in free agency.”
With the No. 4 pick, the Patriots could conceivably take a much-needed offensive tackle like LSU's Will Campbell, to fill the left tackle spot, though it could be at the expense of taking a potential gamechanger like pass rusher Abdul Carter or wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.
Based on Wolf's statement, it doesn't sound like New England will put itself in that position.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Patriots Executive Makes the Team's 2025 Draft Strategy Clear After Brutal '24 Season.