Patriots Rumors: Eliot Wolf 'Wants to Stockpile Draft Picks' amid Trade Buzz

Bill Belichick may have left the New England Patriots, but one of his hallmark draft strategies is reportedly sticking around.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic reported Patriots director of scouting and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf "wants to stockpile draft picks," and the team could be a candidate to trade down from the No. 3 pick in April's draft.

New England has widely been projected to take a quarterback with the third pick as it looks to move on from Mac Jones.

The Patriots garnered a reputation for trading back in drafts throughout Belichick's tenure, including last year when they moved back from No. 14 to No. 17 in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The trades allowed New England to get more shots at landing roster depth later in the draft, with the Patriots having 10 or more draft picks in four of the last five years.

If Belichick had done a better job of identifying talent late in his tenure, it's fair to surmise he would still be running things. The strategy of moving back is sound, but doing so and then whiffing on draft picks is a recipe for fan resentment. New England has not had a first-round pick last more than four seasons with the team since Dont'a Hightower (2012).

Belichick's poor drafting has left the Patriots devoid of talent on both sides of the ball, so moving back does make sense on paper. Any quarterback drafted by New England would be walking into one of the worst situations in football.

The Patriots could undo a lot of damage by fortifying their roster in free agency, but this isn't a team that looked a year away from contention in 2023. Moving back and slow-playing a rebuild through the draft may wind up being the prudent move.