Eliot Wolf's Pre-Draft Press Conference (Scheduled for 4/18 - 10AM)

[upstater1]

I agree with the bust rate, because to do so would refute the facts. Every draft is a crap shoot. Penix and Nix could be 'The Guy", but I'll believe it when I see it (as will we all).

7 out 226 non 1st round QBs have panned out in the last 25 years.

When I look at Penix and Nix, I see people who will surely not work out. Penix throws hangers off his back foot every time you breathe on him. I've seen enough of that for a lifetime. Nix has a .01% chance of being the next Brees or even Pennington. And a 99.9% chance of being the next weak armed backup.

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

Wolf seemed to say that the "final decision makers"/"core group" include himself, Mayo, Matt Groh, and the coordinators (AVP, Covington, Springer). AVP makes a lot of sense. Covington is probably kind of supplanted by Mayo himself. Springer actually has a track record of scouting special teams players for the Rams, so that makes sense too.

I hope Mcadoo is in the room

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

On the one hand, it wasn't the current Giants staff that picked Daniel Jones, but it is the current Giants staff who signed him to a big contract, so they are not actually experts in figuring out what should be done. They are the type of people you take advantage of.

That being said, the Patriots have no track record here either. If the Giants trade up and land Maye and he becomes a Josh Allen type, while JJ McCarthy flubs, good luck telling your fans that you did it for a 2nd rounder and a future 2nd.

You can just as easily say the same thing about JJM. If he becomes a star and Maye sucks, Wolf will get roasted.
Its all speculation.
Pats should pick whoever they assess as best ant worry about downstream fan reaction
Take a shot at greatness. If you go down in flames, you go down in flames

 

[sambam94]

trading down to pick a 2nd tier QB is just plain stupid.

 

[goheels22002]

That was a breath of fresh air. I am impressed with Eliot Wolf and his poise. He answered all the questions, didn't smirk or snort or evade the way Belichick did. He repeatedly talked about involving the whole staff in decision-making. I like this so far.

 

[PatsfanTN]

Maye or trade down for a haul.

 

[Ivan]

I think we got lucky. I think Wolf is going to end up being a great GM for the Patriots.

 

[Mack Herron]

trading down to pick a 2nd tier QB is just plain stupid.

I am firmly in the QB camp. Most essential piece and will not have a better chance to get a good one. Yes its a crap shoot but the odds go down with each pick. QB now.

 

[Ross12]

I think we got lucky. I think Wolf is going to end up being a great GM for the Patriots.

He has really, really impressed me so far, but he also really hasn’t done much of anything so far. His first true test will be his first draft.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

He has really, really impressed me so far, but he also really hasn’t done much of anything so far. His first true test will be his first draft.

He definitely comes across as thoughtful and rational in his approach. The only concern is that he has stressed the point about the draft being collaboration and consensus driven. He needs to demonstrate the confidence and conviction to make the final call without hesitation to be a successful GM. As you say what happens at draft time will be the test.

 

[Jim Beankie]

Let’s say they trade back and pass up Maye/Daniels and they end up becoming perennial Pro Bowlers. They trade back and end up with Penix plus picks. Penix ends up being a solid, Andy Dalton tier QB, and they do a good job hitting on the extra picks they acquired.

Would that be considered a successful trade?

To me it wouldn’t, I don’t care if you were able to pick up a couple of extra starters if you pass up the chance draft a franchise QB for a middling Andy Dalton type.

Man they better get this right. No pressure

Bringing up Andy Dalton is kinda funny because it's a terrible example for your case, as the Bengals played it correctly in 2011 after a 4-12 record the year before. They had a huge need for QB with Carson Palmer saying he was gonna retire (psyche!). They picked AJ Green at #4 (7 time Pro Bowler and 2nd team All Pro) then Dalton at #35. Made the playoffs their rookie year. Dalton was solid (3 time Pro Bowler if that means anything... PB his rookie year like some...one...) but consistently sucked in the playoffs (so did AJ Green). He was the 5th picked QB (83-78-2 with most of the losses during 2nd half of career).

2011 was a 2021 QB draft type of disaster. Maybe the Bengals should have taken franchise QBs Jake Locker (QB2, 9-14), Blaine Gabbert (QB3, 14-35), or Christian Ponder (QB4, 14-21-1). Would've been SB bound. Out of the top 12 picks of that 2011 draft, those 3 were the only guys who didn't end up being 1st/2nd team All Pros (with Cam being the only QB All Pro).

Yeah yeah past performance not indicative blah blah blah.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

He definitely comes across as thoughtful and rational in his approach. The only concern is that he has stressed the point about the draft being collaboration and consensus driven. He needs to demonstrate the confidence and conviction to make the final call without hesitation to be a successful GM. As you say what happens at draft time will be the test.

He's already said the final decision ultimately comes down to him.

 

[Aussie Patriot]

So the guy who is consensus the best thrower in the class has the lowest floor and the lowest ceiling? Well okay, then.

Penix is not the "consensus best thrower in the class"

He may be the best long thrower and possibly sideline thrower but he certainly isnt the best short to intermediate or over the middle thrower.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

He's already said the final decision ultimately comes down to him.

Agreed, proving that he has the ability to confidently make hard decisions is part of the draft day test. Saying and doing are two different things. Until he executes in the real world we won't know. It is good to see that he is holding himself accountable for the decision. Hopefully that is an indicator that he is ready to do the job.

 

[50-yard-line]

Penix is not the "consensus best thrower in the class"

He may be the best long thrower and possibly sideline thrower but he certainly isnt the best short to intermediate or over the middle thrower.

From the pocket, which I mean by “thrower,” yeah, he is. Another high-grader is Rattler.

Penix doesn’t have the off-platform whiz-bang, but from the he’s the best thrower pretty much everywhere you look.

 

[Aussie Patriot]

From the pocket, which I mean by “thrower,” yeah, he is. Another high-grader is Rattler.

Penix doesn’t have the off-platform whiz-bang, but from the he’s the best thrower pretty much everywhere you look.

WEAKNESSES​

One of the biggest concerns with Penix is accuracy. His 22.9% uncatchable inaccurate pass rate ties for the highest mark in the draft class. That number was never below 21% during his college career. It’s a huge concern for a five-year college quarterback, and it indicates that it may not be fixed once he gets to the NFL. Penix missed far too many easy passes, some of which stemmed from his throwing motion and mechanics. A quarterback's mechanics can often be overblown, but when you have accuracy problems, like Penix, it can be detrimental.

 

[Ivan]

He has really, really impressed me so far, but he also really hasn’t done much of anything so far. His first true test will be his first draft.

I realize it’s almost all based on projection, but I think this is really similar to Belichick’s development as a football mind. Wolf was immersed in the process of evaluating players from a young age, and has gone from keeping the draft board current, to writing player evaluations as a youngster, to various roles in different NFL front offices, to now running his own shop. He was raised by a HOF GM, and has followed in his footsteps to the point where he now gets to take over a franchise. None of this guarantees success, he still has to make the right calls far more often than not, and will need some luck, as every franchise does, but I think he’s got the knowledge and mindset to do a great job here. It will take years to evaluate, but that’s my gut take on it.

 

[Water Boy]

I'm glad Groh is part of the draft cabal.

The wisdom he brings is invaluable.

I'm still impressed with his idea that if want want fast players you better draft players that are fast.

 

[Jim Beankie]

Bringing up Andy Dalton is kinda funny because it's a terrible example for your case, as the Bengals played it correctly in 2011 after a 4-12 record the year before. They had a huge need for QB with Carson Palmer saying he was gonna retire (psyche!). They picked AJ Green at #4 (7 time Pro Bowler and 2nd team All Pro) then Dalton at #35. Made the playoffs their rookie year. Dalton was solid (3 time Pro Bowler if that means anything... PB his rookie year like some...one...) but consistently sucked in the playoffs (so did AJ Green). He was the 5th picked QB (83-78-2 with most of the losses during 2nd half of career).

2011 was a 2021 QB draft type of disaster. Maybe the Bengals should have taken franchise QBs Jake Locker (QB2, 9-14), Blaine Gabbert (QB3, 14-35), or Christian Ponder (QB4, 14-21-1). Would've been SB bound. Out of the top 12 picks of that 2011 draft, those 3 were the only guys who didn't end up being 1st/2nd team All Pros (with Cam being the only QB All Pro).

Yeah yeah past performance not indicative blah blah blah.

Crazy that year the 6th pick QB made it to a SB and Conf Final in consecutive years. The 11th picked QB (in the 6th) was a Pro Bowler with a decent .500 starting career (28-28-1) who managed to make the playoffs as a starter. Talk about a crapshoot.

Looking back, Jake Locker really is an example of a guy who has all the tools but "just needs to fix some footwork and accuracy issues." Was rated as a top 3 QB before the 2010 draft, then he returned to school and was thought to be the #1 overall by a surprising number of mocks before his final college season, but slid down a pinch, with a fair number saying he should be out of the 1st round. As a pro, he played sparingly his rookie year learning behind established pro Hasselbeck. Had Chris Johnson as his RB. As we all know, he never figured it out.

 

[Brotherblues]

Crazy that year the 6th pick QB made it to a SB and Conf Final in consecutive years. The 11th picked QB (in the 6th) was a Pro Bowler with a decent .500 starting career (28-28-1) who managed to make the playoffs as a starter. Talk about a crapshoot.

Looking back, Jake Locker really is an example of a guy who has all the tools but "just needs to fix some footwork and accuracy issues." Was rated as a top 3 QB before the 2010 draft, then he returned to school and was thought to be the #1 overall by a surprising number of mocks before his final college season, but slid down a pinch, with a fair number saying he should be out of the 1st round. As a pro, he played sparingly his rookie year learning behind established pro Hasselbeck. Had Chris Johnson as his RB. As we all know, he never figured it out.

Teams were still interested in paying Locker when he chose to retire. Just didn't have the passion to fight through the injuries and grind, he said as much himself. Inject him with a dose of TB's drive and dedication, and he'd have figured out his footwork and accuracy issues. Just like Josh Allen did--coincidentally, Josh grew up a Pats fan idolizing TB12.