Quarterbacks take center stage in Wolf’s pre-draft press conference

Posted By on April 18, 2024

Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf met with the media for about 20 minutes on Thursday morning and as one would expect, the focus was on the quarterbacks and what the Patriots will do with the third overall pick.

Wolf addressed a variety of topics but the quarterbacks seemed to be on most media members minds in attendance. Wolf obviously did not reveal any of the Patriots draft plans but he did give some insight into the team’s thinking. 

When asked if the Patriots have to draft a quarterback, Wolf said no but he also said he would be comfortable with the team taking one of the top three quarterbacks third overall.

“I think we’d be comfortable with that.”

Wolf was also asked if the roster is good enough to support a rookie quarterback, He feels the skill group and offensive line is good enough to succeed with. 

“I do. I read a lot of that storyline. I’m not really sure what that means. We have a solid offensive line. We resigned Mike Onwenu, we have David Andrews coming back. We have three rookies that we drafted last year that are developing. We signed [Chukwuma] Okorafor from the Steelers. Hunter Henry. I mean, a good running game, a solid foundation and a solid system in place with coach [Alex] Van Pelt on the offense. So, I definitely feel like we can support that.”

As far as how the quarterbacks are ranked, Wolf was asked but he didn’t take the cheese.

“Yeah, I’ll address the second part of that first. It’s a long-term decision. I mean, I guess that’s the best way to characterize it. It’s a long-term decision. We look it upside again, not just at the first pick but every pick. We look at the upside in the draft and we try to build out. We have positions where we think we need to supplement now.”

Wolf added: “So as far as the way we have them rated I’d prefer to not really get into that at this point at quarterback or in any other position.”

Wolf was later specifically asked about the meetings with Drake Maye and J.J McCarthy. He talked about how much he enjoyed meeting with both quarterbacks at their pro days, the combine and during top 30 visits. He also made it a point to mention the fact that he enjoyed his time with al of the quarterbacks. His favorite part of the meetings? Hearing what their teammates had to say about them.

“I would say the best thing is kind of hearing what their teammates say about them. They’re both very well thought of by all their teammates. Obviously, Michigan has a ton of guys in the draft. North Carolina, not as many, but they still have some significant guys. And it’s just hearing how impressive they are as teammates, as people, as leaders. And again, I know you singled out two of them. I would say that’s been impressive. I think it’s a unique year, I’d say that’s been impressive with all six of these quarterbacks that are kind of the top guys.” 

As for what the Patriots will look for at the position in terms of certain attributes like toughness, Wolf talked about the work that goes into evaluating the prospects.

“I think when you watch the film, you’re looking for it and you see it. Obviously, our scouts have been compiling information on these guys from their colleges for years, some of these guys from two different colleges. And that information is consistent, lines up, which always makes it easier. So, we have that amount of information from the colleges, and then you can kind of see how they act, how their body language is on tape. And then when you bring them in, it’s really, do the people that are here, do the players that are here kind of gravitate to them while they’re walking around the building, what type of personality do they have? And I would say I’ve been impressed with all the quarterbacks that we’ve talked to, in that regard this year.”

Wolf was asked if the organization has come to a consensus on one of the quarterbacks. As of now, they have not.

“We haven’t had that final conversation yet. But I do think there’s a general idea of how we feel about these players.”

Those conversations will probably take place next week and we won’t know until next Thursday night. Until then, we will continue to guess and speculate. 

We are one week away from finally finding what the Patriots will do with the third overall pick. Is it a quarterback? Will they trade down? We will all know by about 8:30 pm next week.