3 reasons why Patriots GM Eliot Wolf should forget trading for veteran quarterback

The draft buzz around the New England Patriots is becoming louder now, as well as it should be, since the entire NFL season, thankfully, is over and done with. The Patriots' 2023 season was a complete dud. Now, the hope that's springing eternal is that the new regime in town will get this most critical of offseasons in more than two decades right (for a change).

The last offseason wiped out the 2023 season before it even began.

De facto General Manager Eliot Wolf is now in charge of personnel, and personnel is where it all begins and ends. Head Coach Jerod Mayo and his team can be Knute Rockne, George Halas, and Tom Landry all rolled into one, but without top players, they'll sink to the floor of the AFC East again. It's all about the talent.

Wolf has to do the right things, like drafting consensus, aka not reaching, filling needs on the offensive side of the ball almost exclusively, and hopefully picking the right players under those parameters. While it's not rocket science (it's an art), it isn't easy either, or every NFL team would be of Super Bowl caliber.

Here, we'll start with the draft flavor of the month, and that's the prospect of trading the third pick in the draft for a veteran quarterback. There are at least three major reasons, if not more, why Mr. Wolf should chuck those suggestions into the trash basket and get his personnel team ready to use the draft to build his team more effectively.

Patriots' Eliot Wolf's needs to draft the quarterback of the future

Eliot Wolf's top objective in the draft overall is to reanimate an entire offense that was dreadful in 2023. The operative word there is the "entire" offense. Nothing much worked. Even formerly top performers like offensive tackle Trent Brown (a big favorite here) were off their games. And little needs to be said about the complete mess the quarterback room was for any number of reasons, not the least of which was coaching.

With all that in the rearview mirror, any NFL offense begins and ends with the quarterback. The Patriots need one, and it should be a de novo selection in this year's draft. A top rookie quarterback should be drafted either with the Patriots' own third pick overall (Jayden Daniels is the choice here) or after a slight trade-down, only if they feel the one they want will be available at say pick No. 5 - 7.

Alternatively, the Patriots can take another foundational price, e.g., Joe Alt from Notre Dame, a starting left tackle from day one, or Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State, a No. One wide receiver that same day. It's hard to argue with either of those choices at all. Yet, no matter what they decide, a quarterback has to be drafted in either the first or second round no later than the Pats' own pick at No. 34.

Not doing so will sink this draft and maybe the offseason in a hurry.

The Patriots' new offense will take time to gel and they need to retain their draft capital

The second reason trading for a veteran QB is a lousy idea is that reconstructing an entire offense will take time. It's not an overnight challenge. No matter who's under center, they'll have to learn a whole new offense. And while Wolf assembles all the requisite pieces, it may as well be a rookie who grows and matures with the rest.

Adding a dual-threat quarterback like Jayden Daniels, who can burn a defense with both his astoundingly accurate arm and his dynamic running, is the option of choice. It makes perfect sense since, as noted, he can make up for a whole host of deficiencies (aka growing pains) of a young offense with his ability to make something out of nothing with his feet.

Thirdly, acquiring a talented veteran quarterback through trade would require the Patriots to offer valuable draft assets. However, the team currently has only seven total picks and must use them wisely to fill various offensive needs.

The Patriots need top players who can start immediately. It is crucial to use their high draft picks near the top of almost every round for this purpose. Sending any of those picks out the door for a quarterback is wholly counterproductive when you have needs all over the offense.

There they are, three major reasons why Eliot Wolf should scrap and dismiss out-of-hand any ideas of trading for a veteran (even a young one) quarterback. The place to get the next Patriots quarterback is in the draft. Then, that quarterback will learn the new offense and grow with his new compatriots in the revamped Patriots offense.

It is what it is: a rebuilding process. It's going to take time. So, do it right in the first place. It makes all the sense in the world (of football).

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