New report shares latest on Patriots GM search, draft focus
With the New England Patriots’ three coordinator spots filled, the last staffing question the team faces is the general manager position. The Patriots GM spot is a little different than the coordinator roles, in that there’s no guarantee it will be filled.
Back when Jerod Mayo was introduced as head coach, he confirmed the team would be hiring three coordinators. However, Robert Kraft’s answer on whether or not the team would hire a general manager was open-ended.
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Not hiring a titled GM wouldn’t be totally out of left field for the Patriots. The last time someone in the organization held that title was Pat Sullivan in 1990. Since then, including throughout Kraft’s tenure as owner the team has divided the responsibilities of GM between other different positions. Bill Belichick was the de facto GM for most of his tenure, but had multiple directors of player personnel who handled some GM-type responsibilities.
Based on a new report from Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Patriots are still looking for somebody to fill a lead personnel role, even if it doesn’t come with the GM title. That search includes both internal and external candidates.
“Head coach Jerod Mayo began reaching out to candidates shortly after he was hired. It seems likely a new voice will be added to the personnel department, but that role or title is still anyone’s guess,” Howe wrote in his Saturday notes after speaking with league executives at the Senior Bowl. “In-house candidates Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh have also been under consideration.”
![Jan 19, 2017; Ashwaubenon, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf during practice at the Don Hutson Center in preparation for the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons. Mandatory Credit: Jim Matthews/Green Bay Press Gazette via USA TODAY Sports](https://985thesportshub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2024/02/USATSI_9821957_168399902_lowres-2-1.jpg)
Jan 19, 2017; Ashwaubenon, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf during practice at the Don Hutson Center in preparation for the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons. Mandatory Credit: Jim Matthews/Green Bay Press Gazette via USA TODAY Sports
“Whether the Patriots name an official general manager, they will tab someone to run the department, and it’s viewed as an attractive job opening,” Howe added.
Of course, whoever is hired will have significant say in the Patriots’ approach to the 2024 NFL Draft and their use of the third overall pick. If it’s an internal hire – specifically Wolf – that could lead to the Patriots finally using a premium asset at a position they haven’t seriously addressed dating back to the Tom Brady era.
“If it’s Wolf running the show, expect the Patriots to give a long, hard look at drafting a left tackle with the No. 3 pick,” Howe writes. The Patriots haven’t drafted a tackle in the top 100 since 2018, when they took Isaiah Wynn out of Georgia in the first round.
Taking a tackle third overall in this draft would likely mean selecting Joe Alt from Notre Dame. Alt, a 6-foot-8, 315-pound two-time All-American is regarded by many as the best tackle prospect to come through the draft since Penei Sewell in 2021.
At the same time, it’s still early in the process and it’s hard to image the Patriots totally have their minds made up at this point – especially if they haven’t even named a head of the personnel department yet. Other candidates for the third overall pick are Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., as well as quarterbacks Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels, who we profiled in our quarterback big board…