Eliot Wolf has already paid the price for it, the moment Mike Vrabel was hired to coach, bringing his own personnel people on board.
While he kept the title of New England Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel, Wolf’s presence and power continued to slide. Monday was the latest hit for the son of Green Bay Packers legendary executive Ron Wolf.
The Patriots released offensive lineman Caedan Wallace on Monday morning, according to Jordan Schultz of the Schultz Report. Wallace was a third-round pick in 2024, 68th overall, out of Penn State.
The team later announced the Wallace was traded to Miami, along with a 2029 seventh-round draft pick, with a 2028 sixth-round pick coming back as a return.
Too many misses
He joins second-round receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, fourth-round offensive tackle Layden Robinson and fourth-round receiver Javon Baker as misses from that draft.
Currently, Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick overall in Round 1, and Marcellas Dial, a sixth-round defensive back who has made one career start and is currently in a desperate fight to land a roster spot, are the only survivors from the 2024 draft class.
The 2024 NFL Draft was Wolf’s. Before that, Bill Belichick had final say on all decisions. Vrabel and his Vice President of Player Personnel, Ryan Cowden, seized control upon arrival in 2025.
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Selecting Maye at No. 3 overall after the Chicago Bears picked Caleb Williams at No. 1 and Washington chose Jayden Daniels No. 2 was viewed almost universally around the National Football League as a no-brainer.
New England had just relieved itself of 2021 first-round quarterback Mac Jones, moving him to Jacksonville. Bailey Zappe clearly was not the answer. So Maye made all the sense in the world.
Going 0 for 4 at key time
The whiffs that followed him – four straight offensive players whom it was hoped that the franchise could nurture and develop with Maye – continued a run of struggles by the team selecting in rounds 2-4.
Christian Barmore, Marcus Jones and Rhamondre Stevenson remain as the only players left out of 21 selections made from 2020-2024 in those three key rounds.
