7 Patriots takeaways from Eliot Wolf’s press conference before 2026 NFL Draft

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.

Wolf touched on several topics during his press conference from New England’s new team facility — the New Balance Athletics Center — including what the Patriots might target with their 11 draft picks, Mike Vrabel’s status, and other offseason developments.

Here are seven takeaways from Monday’s presser:

A trade up?

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.

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.

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?

“Yeah, I mean, we’re open to anything. Whatever way we can possibly improve the team, we’re open to,” Wolf said. “We 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’ll depend a little bit on how the board falls.

“If we view that there’s a player — whether he’s falling or there’s somebody that we think we need to go get, we’ll be open to those opportunities.”

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.​

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.

During the 2012 NFL Draft, New England traded up to select both Chandler Jones (No. 21 overall) and Dont’a Hightower (No. 25 overall).

“Business as usual” with Vrabel

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’s 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.

​“Very involved,” Wolf said of Vrabel’s participation leading up to draft. “Business as usual. He’s been in there with us, this round of meetings, probably a little bit more than he was last year. The coaching staff, he’s – this is me putting words in his mouth – probably more comfortable just from where things stand from that standpoint.

​“But he’s been in there. He’s been contributing. He’s watched a ton of the players. I think he tries to watch every player that we give each position coach — he tries to watch the whole, what we call, ‘the coach’s list.’ He has an opinion on these guys. It’s helpful.​”

Vrabel has been at the center of controversy after photos published by the New York Post’s gossip column, Page Six, showed the Patriots head coach with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini at a resort in Sedona, Arizona.

“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel said of the photos in a statement to the New York Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

According to Katie Robertson of The New York Times, 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.

Door remains open for an A.J. Brown trade

Another day, another question posed to Wolf and the Patriots about a potential trade involving Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.

While the writing remains on the wall that New England won’t pull off a trade for the All-Pro wideout until after June 1, Wolf again didn’t rule out the possibility of the Patriots bolstering this roster now that the free-agency feeding frenzy has quieted down.

“As far as players on other teams, again, going to keep the door open to anything that we think may improve our roster, whether that’s with the player you mentioned or other players,” Wolf said.

Strengths and weaknesses in this draft class

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.

Considering New England’s needs at the line of scrimmage, this crop of prospects should present plenty of value for the Patriots’ roster-building efforts.

“I think I think it’s a pretty strong draft on the offensive and defensive line,” Wolf said. “Secondary, maybe not as much. Receiver and tight end are pretty good in comparison to some of the recent years. So, yeah, we’re excited about some of these opportunities, and there’s some matchups to some positions of need for us.”

Based on Wolf’s comments, don’t be surprised if New England targets linebackers with the team’s haul of Day 3 picks.

“Yeah, I think it’s solid,” Wolf said of the linebacker group in this draft class. “I think it’s 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’s that’s come out, but I do think it’s a good position Day 3 from a depth standpoint. I think there’s a lot of players that you could justify using a day 3 pickup.”

Bolstering the edge

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.

The Patriots signed Dre’Mont Jones during the offseason, but K’Lavon Chaisson also left in free agency, signing a one-year contract with the Commanders.

​Only six teams recorded fewer sacks than the Patriots (35.0) during the 2025 season.

​“Yeah, we could complement our room with some speed. I think I think that’s evident,” Wolf said. Dre’Mont 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.

​“You know, Dre’Mont’s a guy that can play across the line, run games. I mean, he can sneakily beat you with speed, but that’s probably not his bread and butter. And that’s an area that we’re looking, again, looking to try to improve the depth on the roster.”​

Moses expected to play in 2026

One of the main reasons why offensive tackle remains a top draft priority for New England isn’t just rooted in the mixed results put forth by Will Campbell in 2025.

​It has to do with the future of New England’s 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.

​Despite the wear and tear and Moses’ previous injury woes prior to his time in New England, Wolf said on Monday that Moses is expected to play in 2026.

​“Yes. That’s our expectation,” Wolf said. “I texted Morgan. It was probably closer to the Combine. Just saying hi. But, yeah, I know Coach Vrabel’s in contact with him. And, yeah, no indication that he’s looking to move on, and I think he’s excited about coming back up here and getting started.”

​Even with Moses back in the fold, New England could target an offensive tackle like Max Iheanachor in the first or second round of the draft in order to bring in a prospect who could eventually succeed Moses as the team’s starting right tackle in 2027 and beyond.​

All quiet on Gonzalez contract talks

​Even 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 — rather than kick the can down the road by only exercising his fifth-year option for the 2027 campaign.

Gonzalez undoubtedly factors into New England’s long-term plans, especially coming off a dominant performance in Super Bowl LX.

But, so far, Wolf has remained mum on any talk of progress between the parties.

​A new contract for Gonzalez would undoubtedly make him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL.

​“No Gonzalez update other than I’ll continue to publicly say that we want Christian here,” Wolf said. “And again, he’s under contract, so we would expect that.”

 

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