After a season that ended in the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots are back at the bottom of the first round in the upcoming NFL Draft, holding the 31st overall pick this year. Over the last few years, they've been at the top of the pack, therefore selecting some of the best players of the incoming class. But they won't have that privilege this year.
That doesn't mean, however, that they still won't have some good options when they're finally on the clock, especially if they want to pull off a blockbuster trade that includes their first-round selection.
They're in a much better position to do that than they have been in recent years, since they likely wouldn't want to give up such high draft capital, and fortunately, GM Eliot Wolf shared that the team is not eliminating that possibility leading into this year's draft.
He said as much while speaking to reporters at the NFL Combine on Monday, which now creates a lot of opportunity for what they could do with that pick.
Patriots EVP Eliot Wolf on potentially trading their first-round pick: "We're open to anything. If we think it's going to help the team, both in the short and long term, then it's something that we'll look at."
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) February 24, 2026
The Patriots are not eliminating the possibility of trading away their first-round pick in 2026
Although history tells us that Mike Vrabel won't make a big-time trade this offseason, Wolf has engaged in talks of doing just that over the last two years, most notably the massive offer he put on the table for 49ers' wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in 2024.
That proves that he is not unwilling to make such a move if he feels it's necessary to improve the team, and he repeated that again this week.
There are plenty of holes that need to be addressed this offseason, whether it's the receiving corps or the pass rush, and some noteworthy names might require a first-round pick to get a trade completed and get them on the team.
The main players of interest remain WR AJ Brown and DE Maxx Crosby, both of whom appear to still be on the table for trade after hearing from their respective teams at the Combine this week.
If that's the case, there's no reason for the Patriots not to entertain the idea of getting one of them in the door, especially since they would immediately fill some of the biggest voids on the team after ending the season in the Super Bowl, even if they came up short.
To acquire the caliber of talent they'll need at those positions, it's looking more and more likely that a trade might be the only immediate answer. It's an unfortunate reality that the Patriots have gotten themselves into after being so unwilling to make big-time trades for a number of years.
That philosophy might need to change this offseason to bolster the roster in the way that they'll need to, and at least Wolf appears to understand that might be the route they need to take and isn't unwilling to do so.