While Eliot Wolf wasn't on the hot seat this offseason, his chair as the Patriots' director of player personnel was getting quite warm. New England had gone 8-26 over the last two seasons, and even though Drake Maye had a solid rookie campaign, the roster around the quarterback was pretty barren.
Wolf needed to have a good offseason, and while free agency and the draft don't guarantee success, they're vital factors. And Wolf secured multiple A-plus grades in both areas, using free agency to upgrade New England's defense and receiving core. At the same time, the draft was utilized to bring in Will Campbell, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kyle Williams, among others.
One factor that Maye, Henderson, Williams, and Campbell have in common is that they're all under the age of 25. As is cornerback Christian Gonzalez. That equates to a bright future in Foxborough, and Wolf has done a great job of finding some talent.
Eliot Wolf deserves more credit than he's being given
There's a reason why Wolf's father, Ron, is regarded as one of the best general managers in NFL history. The younger Wolf has thought of his father's Green Bay approach when considering building the Patriots. He may have his Brett Favre in Maye, and when Reggie White chose to go to Green Bay in one of the first big free-agency periods, that was the first domino towards the Packers' run of success in the 1990s.
According to ESPN's Aaron Schatz, the Patriots are ranked seventh in the league as far as talent under the age of 25.
"Here's an up-and-coming collection of young talent: the all-new, all-different Patriots! Maye is a very promising young quarterback talent who turns 23 on Aug. 30. He ranked 17th in QBR (58.6) last season despite subpar receiver and offensive line play," Schatz said in assessing the Patriots' young stars.
Fans and media alike often will judge a team by wins and losses, which in some cases is fair. But what we have to remember about the Patriots the last two years is that they just didn't have the combination of talent and killer instincts. They also didn't excel at situational football as they had during the days of their dynasty.
There were signs last year, with Maye's QBR being a solid one despite a bad offensive line and an underwhelming group of receivers.
But Wolf has found his quarterback viable weapons and a defense built to hold opponents down. Before it's all said and done, Wolf will be the Executive of the Year in New England.