After the Patriots ended the 2023 season with their worst record in over two decades, which awarded them a top first round draft pick, there was a lot of pressure on the organization to hit a home run with their draft selections this year.
What could have been a defining weekend for Bill Belichick’s future in New England ended up being put on new head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf’s shoulders, and based on all accounts, they accomplished what they needed to with the draft class.
The focus was clearly going to be on the offense, which has been the team’s weakest unit for many years. They kicked that off by picking their presumed next franchise quarterback, Drake Maye.
They continued prioritizing the offense with six of their seven remaining selections in hopes of building up the team around the new quarterback, making the transition and his future in the NFL much easier.
Every top position was addressed: offensive line, quarterback, tight end, and wide receiver, prompting a round of applause for the new guys in charge. They did decide to take one defensive player, a defensive back named Marcellas Dial from South Carolina. He certainly fits a need on the defense with the losses of Myles Bryant, Jalen Mills, and Adrian Phillips, among the most notable, so the move made sense.
But apparently the decision came with a bit of regret for Wolf.
Eliot Wolf has one major regret from the Patriots 2024 Draft
The Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel appeared on Kay Adams’ show “Up & Adams” on Tuesday to discuss the new era in New England.
Part of that interview included Wolf revealing the one regret he has about how the team went about the draft, which shocked many who were pleased with the class.
“My one regret so far from this offseason particularly with the draft – we had eight draft picks and only drafted one defensive player. I’ve apologized to coach (DeMarcus) Covington for that. Obviously, he wanted what’s best for the team, too. That’s one regret I have so far, but we’ll see how it goes. We do feel good about the guys we have.”
Wolf makes a fair point because you could say the defense seemed to be neglected during draft weekend. However, the defense was the least concerning part of the roster, especially after how well they played last year despite the mess that the team was overall.
A few good moves in free agency did help the defense, though, like the re-signings of Christian Barmore and Kyle Dugger and the arrivals of a handful of free agents who could put the unit over the edge. Adding more talent through the draft would have been great, but the offense has been the forgotten side of the team in recent drafts, so it was time to switch it up.
Although Wolf might have gone about the draft differently in hindsight, it looks like they did the right thing by focusing on improving the offense first and foremost.
