TRANSCRIPT: Eliot Wolf Combine Press Conference 2/24
Eliot Wolf speaks at the 2026 NFL Combine.
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*It was incredibly difficult to hear the questions from this press conference, but here’s a rundown done with the best of what I was able to discern from this one:
OPENING STATEMENT:
“Good morning, everyone. I just wanted to get started out by saying, just acknowledging everyone in New England is affected by the blizzard. A lot of people with no power. We’re thinking about you. My wife’s going through it right now as well. Dog got stuck in the snow this morning. So just kind of acknowledging that it’s tough out there and hoping that everyone’s staying safe.”
“Piggybacking off of that, I just want to thank Nancy Meyer. The logistical gymnastics that went into sending so many people from our organization here to the Combine. Pretty remarkable what she was able to do. We actually ended up flying out a day and a half early to Detroit, drove down, but we’re here. We were able to knock out some of the the meetings that we had early, so it ended up being a good thing. But I just wanted to open it up for any questions at this time.”
On the fact so many players contributed in 2025 and how important that draft was:
“Yeah, it was tremendously important. We’re very excited about the draft class, and they’re just getting started. They’re still young. We were able to some good minutes out of those guys. That’s a credit to Coach [Mike] Vrabel and his staff, getting those guys ready to play. I think it’s a tribute to them, buying into the culture so quickly and understanding what it means to be a Patriot. We’re excited about the progress that they’ve made moving forward.”
[Inaudible] On the number of safeties and their play in 2025:
“Yeah, I mean, the safety position, like you said, they have to be able to do everything. They have to be able to play down in the box, man cover, tackle in space. Having guys that are interchangeable just opens up a lot of different things for the defense that Zak Kuhr and Terrell Williams can kind of employ. So we’re excited about those guys. Obviously, [Jaylinn] Hawkins is a free agent, and he’s earned the opportunity to see what’s out there, but he’s certainly someone that we would welcome back.”
[Inaudible] On the traits they’re looking for there:
“Yeah, first thing you have to look at is communication is so underrated at that position. I think maybe a lot of fans don’t understand that. Being able to communicate, set the defense, that’s something that we talk to the coaching staffs in college about, and just making sure that anyone that comes in has to be able to communicate and be smart. But on the field, it’s the athleticism, it’s the change of direction, it’s the speed and range, the anticipation that these guys play with are very important traits that we look for.
[Inaudible] On the challenges of a player who has gotten paid and finding that hunger:
“I think you can look at that in two different ways. On one hand, maybe they’re coming in a little bit more entitled, but on the other hand, they’re coming in more prepared from a business standpoint. They’ve had money. They know what it’s like. They know some financial literacy and understanding the trials and tribulations that come with that. So I think it’s a double-edged sword. It’s like anything you just have to be able to adjust, and every person can be different.”
On if that changes the way they ask questions:
“No, not really. I mean, we have a standard set of questions that we ask. And each formal interview that we have, we sort of tailor to the player that’s in there. Each interview is not exactly the same. But if there’s some questions and concerns that are raised about different things, we’ll kind of press on that.”
On now that he’s been through it, how risky was it to start two rookie offensive linemen:
“I don’t know if I’d look at it as risky. I think you have to do what’s best for the football team. With our best five out there, I think we won a lot of games. Obviously, the last game was not very productive in a lot of areas on offense, and we’re just excited that Will [Campbell] and Jared [Wilson] are made of the right stuff, and we’re excited about what they’re going to do moving forward.”
On how the dog is and if it made it out of the snow:
“The dog is okay. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, he’s good.”
On how he would describe the Patriots approach to free agency this year:
“We’re going to explore every avenue to try to improve the team. We filled a lot of needs last year, and we’re still building. We have areas that maybe we feel good about the starters, but maybe the depth is not where we want it to be. We have areas where we maybe need to add a starter. I think it’s going to be a holistic approach and working together with Coach Vrabel and his staff and the scouting staff and Richard Miller and Matt Groh on the on the contract side. We’re going to try to build this thing to improve the team as best we can.”
On if they view Drake Maye being on a rookie contract as being a good opportunity to be aggressive in free agency:
“Again, I think we’re going to try to do what’s best. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to spend because Drake’s on a rookie contract. We’re going to, again, make decisions both for the short and long term that we see as best moving forward.”
On the fact he said that they’re still building and if he feels this is still a rebuild, or if he feels they’re a move or two away from getting back [to the Super Bowl]:
“Yeah, I don’t know that I’d call it a rebuild. I think we have a nice core of players, whether that’s the core of veteran players that we rely on or some of the younger up-and-coming players like the rookies that were mentioned earlier. So again, I just think every year is an opportunity, every year is different, every year is an opportunity in free agency in the draft to improve the roster. And it’s not just free agency and the draft, it’s trades, it’s waiver claims, it’s restricted free agency, all those things. We’re going to explore everything that we can.”
On if the Super Bowl run changed his view of the roster is in terms of its arc:
“No, I’m really proud of our players. Again, they bought in quickly. They figured out how to win. But I think everyone on the roster is aware that we still need some pieces, and we’re going to create as much competition as we possibly can.”
On if he’s had any conversations with free agents who are on the roster:
“Yeah, I’m not going to get into any specific details on any free agents for our team and obviously for other teams. But we have had conversations, and we had good exit meetings with those guys, and I think they understand where we’re at.”
[Inaudible] On if he finds the mock draft simulators interesting:
“I do. I wouldn’t say I spend a ton of time on that. Richard Miller, who works in our research department, he puts together some pretty comprehensive mock draft analysis stuff that’s that’s really helpful. It just gives you an idea of maybe where the league sees a player.”
On how satisfied he is with Drake Maye’s year one to year two improvement:
“Satisfied is a tremendous understatement. Drake made a ton of progress in a lot of areas, not only at the start of the season but throughout the season. I think people forget that he’s 23 years old, and there’s been a lot on his shoulders, and there will continue to be with the expectation that it has being a quarterback for the New England Patriots. I’m just really excited about him, his toughness, his competitiveness. He’s always the same guy. There’s obviously areas on the field that he’s going to improve, and he’s going to work with Coach [Josh] McDaniels and Coach [Ashton] Grant and get those things taken care of.”
On how he views the draft class this year, especially with where they’re picking in the first round:
“I think every year, I feel like every year for the last five years, everyone said, ‘Oh, it’s not a good draft. It’s not a good draft.’ I don’t really buy that. I feel like if you’re doing your job, you’re going to be able to find players rounds one through seven that can help your team. Obviously, there’s varying levels of that, but we still feel like we have enough team needs where we’re going to be able to get good players that are going to help our team moving forward.”
On the fact that Drake was under pressure a lot during the Super Bowl, and how he balances protecting him, while also building up a player like Will Campbell, and the continuity on the offensive line:
“I think there’s a couple of different points in there. Continuity is tremendously important. We were actually fairly healthy on the offensive line this year, and I felt like those guys were able to gel and play well. Will, specifically, when he came back from that injury, I personally didn’t see the same level of lower-body strength that you saw before the injury. I think the film would attest to that. He probably had three of his four worst games in the playoffs. But before that, I thought Will played really well all year. I know everyone talks about the arm length, but he has a set of skills that enable him to play with that arm length. He’s really quick out of his stance. He’s technically sound. He’s adding more and more different pass sets to his tool bag that he can use to combat different rushes. Again, he’s 22 years old, and we expect some improvement out of him as well.”
On if he anticipates Stef [Diggs] coming back next year:
“I’m not going to get into any specific players today. There are certain conversations that we’re having, and we’ll see what happens with everyone.”
On if he feels Drake’s shoulder affected him at all in the Super Bowl:
“I think that’s probably a question better asked to him. I didn’t feel that way. I just felt like we just couldn’t get in the rhythm offensively.”
[Inaudible] On the challenges of evaluating college players
“I know you’re talking about college offenses, but I still think it’s understanding what’s inside of a person and trying to get to know them. The quarterback position is so difficult to play, not only in college, but at our level as well. When you’re trying to identify what makes a guy tick, what kind of leader is he going to be? How tough is he? How is he going to react in adverse situations? I still think that’s the hardest thing to evaluate college to pro.”
[Inaudible] On how the portal affects evaluations:
“Yeah, I think you just have to make sure the information is consistent. If a player is at school A and you get certain information on him that’s totally different from where he’s at at school B, then you really have to spend… If the information is consistent throughout, then I think… And you talk to him, and it’s the same thing, then you have a pretty good idea of what it’s going to be.”
[Inaudible] On the fact they already had Christian Barmore as a tone setter and how important the addition of Milton Williams has been:
“Yeah, I think just being able to affect the quarterback is tremendously important, whether that’s from the interior or on the exterior. I know a lot of quarterbacks, talking to people throughout the league, a lot of quarterbacks actually are more worried about the interior pressure because they can’t step up. We’re excited to have those guys, not only them, but Khyris Tonga, who’s a free agent, Cory Durden, and some of the other guys that we had that were playing in there that were able to provide that push.”
[Inaudible]
“John Eric Sullivan. He and I started with the Packers the same year in 2004. Have stayed close with him. Just really excited for his opportunity. A little bit disappointed that it’s in our division. But I know he’s excited for the opportunity, and I’m excited to try to be able to beat him twice a year.”
[Inaudible]
“Yeah, he was there, so that was a really cool experience, other than the outcome of the game. But I think he was very frustrated with the outcome of the game. But just kind of understanding you got to get up the next day and keep working. And we’re all aware that we have a lot of work to do. So that was helpful.”
On the fact Mike Vrabel talks about playing demeanor and if he sees a different level of that in college offensive linemen and if it’s something he feels he can teach:
“Talk about teaching demeanor?”
Yes, Playing with demeanor, finishing:
“Yeah, I think if it’s in there, you can teach that. I think there’s plenty of players, some that I can think of off top of my head that kind of flash that, but they don’t play that way all the time. I just think that’s a mindset. I think you can get a little bit better with that with coaching. Now, if the guy is soft and passive, maybe not. But we’re always looking for guys that play hard and try to finish.”
On when he goes through the scouting process, what kind of traits he looks for in running backs:
“I’m a big fan of guys that run hard, guys that can really hit the hole with force and burst through. I know there’s a lot of different running styles, a lot of people that have different varying levels of success. But to me, the guys that can really attack the hole and put pressure on the defense are valuable.”
On when he has a coach like Vrabel, how he goes through this process, how they view a player in terms of whether or not his attitude matches the attitude of the coach, or if the coach is a good attitude match of the player:
“Well, I mean, that’s a good question. I would just say, too, our coaching staff is pretty special. They’re going to work with everyone. So whether it’s the try-hard guy that has the great play demeanor or a guy that maybe we need a little bit more out of, Coach Vrabel and the staff do a tremendous job working with all those people. There’s no one that gets pushed to the side. Everyone gets coached the same. And I think the level of improvement we saw with a lot of different players on our roster this year is indicative of that.”
[Inaudible] On how confident he is with the veterans who can teach that:
“Very confident. Again, I’ve said it before, in free agency last year, and with some of the guys that were previously on the team, having the right mindset and having the real culture guys that carry Coach Vrabel’s message is very important.”
On what the thinks of some of the edge guys in this draft:
“I think this draft offers a lot of different depth at varying areas, Edge being one of them. I think it’s a fairly deep class at that position. Obviously, an area of need for our team, so it matches up nicely.”
[Inaudible] On Zak Kuhr and how the defense played down the stretch:
“Yeah, it’s a credit to Zak, how well the defense played, but also, Terrell Williams was still there, and Vrabel obviously has some influence on that. But really, the whole defensive staff were collaboratively together and came up with these game plans. I know Coach Booker, in particular, with the coverage plans and things like that. But I think it was really cool how the staff kind of rallied together when Terrell had to leave for a little bit. And I thought it was a really cool show of loyalty to the group that we were able to have the level of success that we have.”
On if it’s something they can build on:
“Yeah, definitely. Zak didn’t know he was going to be the play-caller until really the season started. So I think having more preparation time and maybe having lived through a season doing it and understanding what worked and what didn’t work and when to spin the wheel with the blitz or play coverage. I think just with experience, those things will improve.”
On how difficult it was to get to the Super Bowl and rewarding it was, and how he feels that experience will benefit his team moving forward:
“Personally, it’s great. But personally, when the team has success, I often find myself being a lot more excited for the other people that are my teammates and the people that I work with. To have played in that game and tasted it and not come out on the winning side of that, I think just motivates everybody to try to get back there and try to finish the job.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This transcript was done based on the available footage and is subject to typographical errors. If you spot anything, please let me know in the comments below.)
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