Patriots’ Eliot Wolf Has Type, These NFL Draft Prospects Fit Mold
The Patriots are still in desperate need of wide receiver help, and though they’ve got multiple ways of finding it, the best options likely will come via the 2024 NFL Draft. It’s good news, then, that new de-facto general manager Eliot Wolf has had success drafting them. Wolf, in previous stints with the Green Bay […]
The Patriots are still in desperate need of wide receiver help, and though they’ve got multiple ways of finding it, the best options likely will come via the 2024 NFL Draft.
It’s good news, then, that new de-facto general manager Eliot Wolf has had success drafting them.
Wolf, in previous stints with the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns, has a hand in drafting some quality wideouts. Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are success stories from his time in player personnel, with others going on to have successful roles in the league. Wolf had a direct hand in drafting 12 prospects, while aiding in the selection of numerous others.
Alex Barth and Matt Dolloff of 98.5 The Sports Hub were kind enough to average out the combine numbers from those wideouts, giving us a few traits of note. You can find those below, compared to the average wide receiver drafted by the Patriots during Bill Belichick’s tenure.
| Height | Weight | Forty | Vertical | Broad | Shuttle | |
| Wolf WR | 6′ 5/8″ | 203lbs | 4.48 | 37″ | 122″ | 4.23 |
| Belichick WR | 5′ 11 7/8″ | 198lbs | 4.44 | 36″ | 123″ | 4.19 |
It wasn’t enough knowing about those numbers, though, so as we’ve been one to do throughout the draft process, we identified 2024 NFL Draft prospects that fit Wolf’s desired traits.
Let’s take a look at them, shall we?
WR Jalen McMillan, Washington
McMillan is one of those rare prospects that fits into both categories listed above, as the “juiced-up Jakobi Meyers” com he got a few weeks back is pretty accurate. If there’s one guy who seems to check all New England’s boxes at the wide receiver position, it’s him.
Patriots wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes spent last season working with McMillan at Washington, building a rapport with the lengthy prospect. His numbers match up nicely with what Wolf wants, and his value might be perfect for a team looking at wideouts at the end of Day 2.
You can look at his testing numbers here.
WR Javon Baker, UCF
If you’re unfamiliar with Baker, it might be time to learn about him.
Baker probably is the closest thing you’ll find to a perfect fit in this exercise, possessing the exact size and explosion metrics we’re looking for. He’s a tad slower than wide receivers that typically are drafted, though, with a lack of agility times hurting his case at this point in the process.
You can look at his testing numbers here.
WR Bub Means, Pittsburgh
We’ve touched on Means in the past, and it has just about everything to do with how well he fits the description of a typical Patriots wideout. Wolf likes to find them in the middle rounds, which is exactly where Means will be drafted.
You can look at his testing numbers here.