{"id":53178,"date":"2024-04-28T05:00:32","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=53178"},"modified":"2024-04-28T15:37:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-28T19:37:42","slug":"five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some thoughts coming off of an interesting 2024 New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> draft.<\/p>\n

Patriots Have a Jam-Packed QB Room<\/strong><\/h3>\n

New England finished things up on Saturday with a bit of a surprise, adding another quarterback in addition to first-round selection Drake Maye.<\/p>\n

They selected Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton in the sixth round on Saturday at #193 overall, throwing a bit of a wrinkle into the haul that included their other 2024 Patriots Draft picks<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

That now creates a quarterback room that features five quarterbacks, including Jacoby Brissett, Maye, Bailey Zappe, Nathan Rourke, and now Milton.<\/p>\n

Something will clearly need to give, and if the initial reports are any indication, it sounds like Zappe’s facing an uphill battle to remain on the roster.<\/p>\n

NFL Media reporter Ian Rapoport reported not long after Milton’s selection that Zappe could potentially be on the trading block.\u00a0 He believes the club will try to do the right thing by finding Zappe an amicable place to be dealt, much like they did with former Patriots QB, Mac Jones.<\/p>\n

What happens after that is the next question.\u00a0 Jerod Mayo said during his post-draft press conference Saturday<\/strong><\/a> when asked if they envision Milton playing anywhere else, possibly doing like they did last year with former undrafted free agent Malik Cunningham, who spent time during training camp at receiver.<\/p>\n

However, Mayo said that “we drafted him as a quarterback,” which seems to remove that possibility.\u00a0 Milton more or less took it a step further after he made it clear that if the club had any intention of him playing elsewhere, he’s not cooperating. “That’ll never happen,” said Milton during his conference call Saturday.<\/p>\n

That means that the Patriots were likely aware of that, which also indicates that changes in that room are coming.<\/p>\n

Mayo downplayed that. “Everything\u2019s about competition, and nothing is given,” he said, referring to the quarterbacks.\u00a0 “All of it\u2019s earned, and that\u2019s how we thought about the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

“But at the same time, you want to have a strong group,” he added.\u00a0 “You want to have a strong room and I would say the way it looks now, we have a very strong room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong, maybe.\u00a0 But crowded?\u00a0 Absolutely.<\/p>\n

The additions of Maye and Milton has the club now with two big, strong, athletic quarterbacks, which if that’s the way they’re leaning certainly doesn’t fit Zappe’s mold.\u00a0 Maye, Milton and Rourke do fit that mold behind Brissett, with all being guys who are strong and can throw outside the pocket.\u00a0 So it will likely come down to a competition between the rookie from Tennessee and the former CFL QB for the club’s final quarterback spot on the depth chart.<\/p>\n

As far as what the future holds for Zappe, it seems this ship is moving forward, and he may not be in their plans.\u00a0 For now, it will just remain something to keep an eye on as they start putting whatever plans they have into motion.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: SARAH PHIPPS\/THE OKLAHOMAN \/ USA TODAY NETWORK)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Patriots Suddenly Also Have a Crowded Receiver Room<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Patriots selected both Washington receiver Ja’Lynn Polk (Round 2) and UCF wideout Javon Baker (Round 4) on Saturday, which now pushes the number of receivers on their roster to 11.<\/p>\n

That means that changes are certainly ahead as Wolf and the offensive coaches also start revamping the room.<\/p>\n

The belief is that the two rookies are clearly in their plans, with Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, and K.J. Osborn the likely players who, unless Osborn doesn’t pan out, should be joining them.<\/p>\n

That leaves Jalen Reagor, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kawaan Baker, and TJ Luther as the most likely players battling for a roster spot.\u00a0 Smith-Schuster may find himself gone after June 1st, with Thornton as the most notable name who will either be competing for a role or possibly find himself as a trade candidate.<\/p>\n

Kawaan Baker and TJ Luther are both players who will be longshots, and that’s provided they’re still here by the time camp opens as the Patriots shed players to potentially make room to target those who are jettisoned as teams begin parting with current players.<\/p>\n

Either way, it’s clear that the Patriots are looking to create a group that’s more dangerous down the field and guys who can challenge defenders.<\/p>\n

Some don’t necessarily love Polk, comparing him to DeVante Parker, while others have questions about Baker, who draws comparisons to Bourne.\u00a0 But both are absolutely guys who attack the football and should be fun to watch.<\/p>\n

As a result, they may not be splashy names, but Wolf quietly did an adequate job weaponizing a group that is certainly better and should be more of a problem for opponents than it was a year ago.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Caedan<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Dan Rainville \/ USA TODAY NETWORK)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Left Tackle Still Has Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With New England going receiver in round two, that left the pick of tackles a little limited by the time the third round opened.<\/p>\n

However, Wolf said Friday night that despite the urge to trade back when it was time to pick at the 68th overall spot in Round 3, the guy they were targeting, Penn State’s Caedan Wallce, was still there, and they felt the smart move was to go ahead and take him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWallace was a guy we had targeted,\u201d said Wolf<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cWe had some exploratory conversations about possibly moving back from 68, and then it was just kind of like, \u2018Well, why? This is the guy we had wanted all along.\u2019 So, sometimes it doesn\u2019t fall for you. It fell pretty nicely for us today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former Nittany Lion spent his career anchoring the right side of the line, with some wondering why the Patriots targeted a right tackle given their need on the left side.\u00a0 However, both Wolf and Wallace told reporters that making the transition to the other side is something they’re confident about shouldn’t be an issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we feel like Caedan has the athleticism to play over on the left side,” said Wolf.\u00a0 “Really, his teammate, Olu Fashanu that the Jets drafted was the reason that he played on the right.\u00a0 So, athletically there\u2019s no reason why he couldn\u2019t make the switch over there. He\u2019s a really smart dedicated kid that we feel like can handle that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Wallace said that \u201cit\u2019s been a while\u201d since he played left tackle in a game, but admitted that he spent time there during the Shrine Bowl and didn\u2019t hesitate when asked how confident he was that he could make the transition to left tackle.<\/p>\n

\u201cExtremely confident,\u201d said Wallace.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I play every position on the line and I\u2019m just excited to get there and learn under some great coaches and get after it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan challenged Mayo on that later on Saturday, with Callahan recalling the issue Matt Light had playing on the other side despite being a player who was both smart and athletic.<\/p>\n

However, Mayo pushed back, saying his confidence in his coaching staff and the intel they have on the player.<\/p>\n

“Look, I love the way that he plays, but after having conversations with Van Pelt, Scotty Peters and that group and [assistant offensive line coach Robert] Kugler, they were very confident that this guy could play on both sides,” said Mayo.\u00a0 “So I have to have confidence that I picked the right people to evaluate or project what this guy can do going forward.”<\/p>\n

Mayo also added that while it’s still his call, he’s confident in the guys around him who will be responsible for executing Wallace’s transition.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m not into micromanaging or anything like that. If the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach say, \u2018Hey, this guy can do X, Y, and Z,\u2019 all right, I\u2019ll take it in, but at the end of the day, someone has to make that decision, which is me, but I already made the decision that we picked some good coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"Cole<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Strange Injury Now a Big Question Mark<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With the former first-round pick suffering a season-ending injury in December, the selection of Texas A&M’s Layden Robinson is definitely eyebrow-raising.<\/p>\n

Robinson is considered to be an interior lineman, which obviously opened the door for questions given the number of guards the Patriots currently have.<\/p>\n

The thought is that perhaps he was selected as additional insurance for Strange, who may or may not be ready to go by the time training camp opens.<\/p>\n

The other thought is that players like Atonio Mafi and others may not fit the scheme that Alex Van Pelt are planning on running, and it may indicate that the club brought in Robinson to give them some additional depth as they begin transitioning their offense.<\/p>\n

Strange suffered a knee injury during training camp that reports indicated required surgery, with Strange opting to try and play through it.\u00a0 He ended up appearing on the injury report to start the year and remained there, appearing on it for the first eight weeks of the season.<\/p>\n

However, he missed the season opener while playing 100% of the snaps in Week 2, along with 61% of the snaps against the Jets in Week 3, before seemingly aggravating it.<\/p>\n

He was then inactive for the next three weeks<\/strong><\/a>, with Strange being “limited” on the practice reports over that span.\u00a0 He finally came off the injury report after week eight.<\/p>\n

But an injury against Kansas City on December 17th knocked him out for the rest of the season, which now has his status heading into 2024 in question.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Annie Rice\/Avalanche-Journal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Overall, Wolf Played it Safe<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There were no bold trades or questionable names taken this weekend, with Wolf opting to play it safe and stick with guys who fall into the category of simply being good players.<\/p>\n

The most notable name taken over the weekend was Javon Baker, who carries with him the most swagger of any player we’ve seen in a long time.<\/p>\n

He’s a player who, within his Twitter bio, it reads “I Hate DB’s,” with the standout from UCF telling reporters, “It\u2019s just this mentality to just kill whoever\u2019s on the other side of me. That\u2019s really my mentality. That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baker also said that as a receiver, he doesn’t know anything other than attacking the football and doing whatever he needs to do in order to make plays.<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t know nothing but receiving the ball,” said Baker. “I don\u2019t care if the ball is thrown out of bounds in the sideline, I\u2019m going to receive the ball. So at the end of the day, that right there, my mentality is just different from any other receiver.”<\/p>\n

“I can get down and dirty, I can do anything. So, that right there, my mentality alone can just do everything as a receiver. Just my mentality, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, teammate Ja’Lynn Polk is another player who attacks the football, albeit he’s not quite as bold.\u00a0 The former Washington receiver is simply a solid player who also goes after the football and was a key part of the success Michael Penix Jr. experienced as the team fought its way to the end against Michigan in the National Championship game.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, they\u2019re getting a beast, man,” said Polk when asked what fans can expect. “A dude that loves football, loves his teammates, and ready to build and be able to come and bring a great player and a very electric person and go on to win games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from that, Wolf selected two solid offensive linemen in both Wallace and Robinson, with the club finally addressing its defense in round six (180th overall).\u00a0 They ended up with a solid defender in defensive back Marcellas Dial from South Carolina, with Dial possessing solid athleticism and long arms that made him a key defender for the Game Cocks last season.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Marcellas<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOh, yes. I\u2019m a sticky corner in coverage,” said Dial<\/strong><\/a>. “Someone that\u2019s able to go up there and compete and play with any receiver, any body type. I\u2019m very good at the point of attack.\u00a0 Whenever the ball is in the air, I can make plays on the ball. I know there\u2019s bits and parts to my game that I got to get better at, but that\u2019s why I\u2019m going to come in and work to get better at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The club also did grab a tight end late, with the Patriots selecting Florida State’s Jaheim Bell with the 231st pick in Round 7.<\/p>\n

Bell finished with 39 catches for 503 yards and two touchdowns in 2023, and was the 10th best tight end out of 22 players by\u00a0TheAthletic’s\u00a0<\/em>Dane Brugler<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Brugler believes he can be a solid addition to any team’s depth chart, even if he’s not necessarily a starter.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Jaheim<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Tencza-USA TODAY Sports)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Overall, Bell isn\u2019t a dynamic weapon, but he has pass-catching talent, and NFL teams will like his contact balance and competitive chops as a blocker, receiver and after the catch,” wrote Brugler.\u00a0 “A similar player to the Houston Texans\u2019 Brevin Jordan, he can earn a No. 2 tight end role .”<\/p>\n

While Maye will be the player everyone talks about, the haul New England came away with will likely provide a pretty good group as Wolf attempts to rebuild the team’s foundation of young players.<\/p>\n

For now, Mayo is pleased with how his first Draft weekend as head coach went, and he’s looking forward to getting to work.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m very excited about the players we selected,” said Mayo.\u00a0 “Look, once again, we had our holes, we tried to fill those with good players, and then it got to a point where it\u2019s like, \u2018All right, let\u2019s just take the best available player.\u2019\u00a0 So it was kind of a mix of philosophy. \u2018Let\u2019s make sure we get the best player at this spot,\u2019 and then \u2018Let\u2019s just take the best player off the board.\u2019”<\/p>\n

“So I thought it was a great process, but, once again, you guys will judge us on this one in a couple of years, probably a couple of months, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some thoughts coming off of an interesting 2024 New England Patriots draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":52973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,23152],"tags":[22991,23535,22980,23280,23466,23450,23533,1026,23549,23347,23432,153,23435,1875,23507,23550,22508,23536,23537,23389,23551,22986],"class_list":["post-53178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-commentary","category-pf","tag-bailey-zappe","tag-caedan-wallace","tag-cole-strange","tag-demario-douglas","tag-drake-maye","tag-eliot-wolf","tag-jalynn-polk","tag-jacoby-brissett","tag-jaheim-bell","tag-jalen-reagor","tag-javon-baker","tag-jerod-mayo","tag-joe-milton","tag-juju-smith-schuster","tag-k-j-osborn","tag-kawaan-baker","tag-kendrick-bourne","tag-layden-robinson","tag-marcellas-dial","tag-nathan-rourke","tag-tj-luther","tag-tyquan-thornton"],"yoast_head":"\nFive Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some thoughts coming off of an interesting 2024 New England Patriots draft.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some thoughts coming off of an interesting 2024 New England Patriots draft.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-28T09:00:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-28T19:37:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg?fit=2121%2C1414&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2121\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1414\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ian Logue\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ianlogue\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ian Logue\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2785562a57e86e99346895c90e0f5459\"},\"headline\":\"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-28T09:00:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-28T19:37:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2411,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Bailey Zappe\",\"Caedan Wallace\",\"Cole Strange\",\"Demario Douglas\",\"Drake Maye\",\"Eliot Wolf\",\"Ja'Lynn Polk\",\"Jacoby Brissett\",\"Jaheim Bell\",\"Jalen Reagor\",\"Javon Baker\",\"Jerod Mayo\",\"Joe Milton\",\"JuJu Smith-Schuster\",\"K.J. Osborn\",\"Kawaan Baker\",\"Kendrick Bourne\",\"Layden Robinson\",\"Marcellas Dial\",\"Nathan Rourke\",\"TJ Luther\",\"Tyquan Thornton\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Patriots Commentary\",\"PF\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/\",\"name\":\"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-28T09:00:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-28T19:37:42+00:00\",\"description\":\"Some thoughts coming off of an interesting 2024 New England Patriots draft.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"width\":2121,\"height\":1414,\"caption\":\"Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/28\\\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Patriots Commentary\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/patriots-commentary\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"description\":\"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"PatsFans.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/patsfans\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@patsfans.official\"],\"foundingDate\":\"2000-06-17\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2785562a57e86e99346895c90e0f5459\",\"name\":\"Ian Logue\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7b2113f449563ae600081c59c6ab854ff66f15920ebfefc0fcb643c764d4ad94?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7b2113f449563ae600081c59c6ab854ff66f15920ebfefc0fcb643c764d4ad94?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7b2113f449563ae600081c59c6ab854ff66f15920ebfefc0fcb643c764d4ad94?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ian Logue\"},\"description\":\"Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ianlogue\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/ian\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe","description":"Some thoughts coming off of an interesting 2024 New England Patriots draft.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe | PatsFans.com","og_description":"Some thoughts coming off of an interesting 2024 New England Patriots draft.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_published_time":"2024-04-28T09:00:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-28T19:37:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2121,"height":1414,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg?fit=2121%2C1414&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ian Logue","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ianlogue","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/"},"author":{"name":"Ian Logue","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2785562a57e86e99346895c90e0f5459"},"headline":"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe","datePublished":"2024-04-28T09:00:32+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-28T19:37:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/"},"wordCount":2411,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg","keywords":["Bailey Zappe","Caedan Wallace","Cole Strange","Demario Douglas","Drake Maye","Eliot Wolf","Ja'Lynn Polk","Jacoby Brissett","Jaheim Bell","Jalen Reagor","Javon Baker","Jerod Mayo","Joe Milton","JuJu Smith-Schuster","K.J. Osborn","Kawaan Baker","Kendrick Bourne","Layden Robinson","Marcellas Dial","Nathan Rourke","TJ Luther","Tyquan Thornton"],"articleSection":["Patriots Commentary","PF"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/","name":"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-28T09:00:32+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-28T19:37:42+00:00","description":"Some thoughts coming off of an interesting 2024 New England Patriots draft.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg","width":2121,"height":1414,"caption":"Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2024\/04\/28\/five-thoughts-on-the-patriots-draft-picks-overall-wolf-played-it-safe\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patriots Commentary","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/category\/patriots-commentary\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Five Thoughts on the Patriots Draft Picks: Overall, Wolf Played it Safe"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","name":"PatsFans.com","description":"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization","name":"PatsFans.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"PatsFans.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","https:\/\/x.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/patsfans\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patsfans.official"],"foundingDate":"2000-06-17"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2785562a57e86e99346895c90e0f5459","name":"Ian Logue","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b2113f449563ae600081c59c6ab854ff66f15920ebfefc0fcb643c764d4ad94?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b2113f449563ae600081c59c6ab854ff66f15920ebfefc0fcb643c764d4ad94?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b2113f449563ae600081c59c6ab854ff66f15920ebfefc0fcb643c764d4ad94?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ian Logue"},"description":"Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.patsfans.com","https:\/\/x.com\/ianlogue"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/ian\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/USATSI_23115015_168390408_lowres.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53178"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53211,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53178\/revisions\/53211"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}