Eliot Wolf is not ready to lock his New England Patriots in the playoff picture.
But after what appears to be a successful free agency period and NFL Draft in which New England added defensive playmakers at all three levels, remodeled their league-worst offensive line, and added explosive skill players around Drake Maye, the leader of the front office is surely feeling better about his team’s chances.
“I think we’ll be much more competitive this year,” Wolf said Saturday at the conclusion of the NFL Draft. “I don’t like to put expectations on it but I think we did a lot of things this off season that were advantageous to us moving forward.”
After making four picks in the first two days of the draft on the offensive side of the football (two lineman, two skill position players), Wolf and Co. turned their attention to the defensive side of the football on Saturday. Not including a pair of special teamers, four of New England’s five day three picks went to defense — starting at pick 104 with California safety Craig Woodson.
“He’s a great person, a high level of character, a really smart football player,” Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden said of Woodson. “I think the communication skills that he possesses at the safety position are something that sets him apart. Cal’s had a history of having really good communicators in their program from the backfield for the defensive secondary standpoint. Just a great person and a high level communicator at the safety position.”
New England then turned to the defensive line by adding a pair of consensus ‘steals’ in defensive lineman Joshua Farmer and edge rusher Bradyn Swinson in the fourth- and fifth-round, respectively.
A pair of athletic rushers, both Farmer (Florida State) and Swinson (LSU) led their respective teams in sacks last season and will bolster an already improved Patriots rush that ranked last in the league in sacks in 2024.
“I think anytime you can get some depth on the defensive line, whether it’s inside or outside with both these guys,” EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf said. “Swinson has some pass rush. Farmer can rush the passer and play the run. We were excited that those guys were still available and we just kind of trusted the board.”
Following the selection a developmental offensive tackle in Marcus Bryant and New England’s third trade of the day, the Patriots ended the (entire) draft back on the defensive side of the football with defensive back Kobee Bryant.
While Bryant flew far under the radar leading up to the draft — ranked as the 127th CB in Dane Brugler’s The Beast — New England identified him as a potential fit early in the process.
“He was a double transfer guy — he started his career at Texas Tech and then played one year at Indiana, and then actually transferred to Memphis this year. He transferred kind of late so I don’t know that he was necessarily on the radar early in the season for some people and then he had a hamstring [injury],” Wolf said.
“He came back from it and played well. But the movement skills at practice, the ability to play the football in the air, his competitiveness. We brought him in for a pre-draft 30 visit and he did a really nice job on that. So he was just kind of a guy that we had some affinity for.”
As the Patriots roster is now primarily set, the work now turns back to the field, where the additions over the last few days and months seems to have things starting in the right direction.
“I think we were really able to help the team out as far as what we tried to accomplish,” Wolf said. “It was just filling some of the holes that we had and increasing the depth and competition on the roster with the right type of people.”
