Eliot Wolf puts the pressure on Patriots' coaching staff, and other roster thoughts after the 2024 draft

Some of you guys might be tired of me talking about the way the Packers do things, but I don't know what you want me to do — the de-facto GM, Eliot Wolf, literally grew up in the Packers front office next to his Hall of Fame father, Ron, and around a host of excellent personnel men like Ted Thompson, John Schneider, John Dorsey, Reggie McKenzie, Alonzo Highsmith and Brian Gutekunst.

Their way of doing things might pale in comparison to the Patriots' lofty standards, but relative to the rest of the NFL, it's been pretty damn successful. More importantly, all of those guys believe in it and they execute it.

In addition to what they did in the second round — avoiding the flashy upside and going with high-floor players at two vital positions, receiver and offensive tackle — Wolf hit on two more Packers tenets by the end of the draft:

- As a draft-and-develop team, they're not drafting the best prospect that day - they are drafting who they think can be a good player with a year or two of development from the coaching staff;

- You never go poor drafting quarterbacks.

We saw both on display over the weekend. Despite the latter having not much downside, the former is a huge question mark for the Patriots as they move forward.

Before we get into more draft thoughts, our updated depth chart and who should be looking out for The Turk soon, let's dig into what will likely be the lynchpin of this new Patriots regime under Jerod Mayo:

- A huge amount of pressure on the coaching staff to fit the pieces and develop these players, especially on offense where seven of the eight picks were spent on that side (stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Bill Belichick).

In essence, Wolf just told Alex Van Pelt, Ben McAdoo, et al:

"Yeah, I just took a talented QB project third overall who might not play this season, added an even bigger QB project in the sixth round who might not even be a QB, and I told everyone our third-round pick, who has never played left tackle, has enough ability to play left tackle ... good luck!!"

I mean, talk about pressure. You almost have to feel for Mayo. Here's a guy who doesn't know what he doesn't know, especially about offense, with an offensive coaching staff of largely strangers, basically holding his coaching future in their hands ... that needs to teach, from scratch, two talented quarterbacks and a possible left tackle.

You could say Wolf is nuts, but this is what the Packers do - for better or for worse. They don't go out and get pricey free agents. They much prefer to draft someone, usually someone most think was overdrafted, and expect the coaches to train them up. When it works, it's fun to watch. When it doesn't, you get a disaster. Of course, the Packers usually had a franchise QB (Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers) around to smooth out the edges. In many ways, it's not all that different than what Belichick did when Tom Brady was at his best.

One huge difference: the Patriots are doing this without a net, with no proven franchise quarterback. But Wolf's father did pull this off with an unheralded Favre in the early 1990s.

Still a huge amount of pressure on the coaching staff. And, I must point this out again because it's such a foreign concept: Mayo is relying on offensive coaches he has zero background in.

At least Ron Wolf had Mike Holmgren. I guess you would say it's similar to Thompson and Gutekunst relying on Mike McCarthy and Matt LaFleur, who were both hugely inexperienced and also unheralded. But I'm not sure many would even put Van Pelt in their category.

Mayo, at least publicly, seems undaunted when I asked him about this on Saturday.

"First and foremost, I would say as we -- we brought in 17 new coaches this year. One of the things, one of the criteria that we always make sure that these guys will check the box with is just able to relate to the players. I think that's a huge thing, especially with the generation of players we have right now," Mayo said.

"To your point, look, a lot of offensive players, a lot of quarterbacks in the room right now at this current time, but at the same time I would say we have coaches where you can still get that one-to-one type of coaching. We're trying to coach together, but at the same time, Alex Van Pelt is going to run that offense. I have nothing but faith in him and (Ben) McAdoo and the rest of the guys over there to get it done on the offensive side of the ball."

He better, or this could be one very short honeymoon.

- I've already heard a least some fretting about having Joe Milton in the Patriots' quarterback room with Drake Maye. Some think that's not the way you should bring up a young franchise quarterback. You need to build Maye's confidence. What happens if Milton does X, Y and Z and the fans start clamoring for him?

Just stop.

First of all, it will likely be a minor miracle if the completely unrefined Milton is ever a starting QB in the NFL. But there's enough talent there to explore the possibility, especially since the Patriots coaches will be building Maye up from the ground floor. Why not group Milton in that instruction?

If that's really an issue for Maye ... the Patriots never should have picked him. That is some soft, Zach Wilson- and Kenny Pickett-type stuff. Better find that out sooner rather than later. (And, by the way, that will not be an issue for ballsy Maye).

Lastly, this is also a Packers thing, and it has served them well. 

Despite trading a first-round pick for Brett Favre and having the serviceable Ty Detmer on the roster, the Packers drafted Mark Brunell in the fifth round after Favre's first season. In 1995, the Packers got a third and fifth for Brunell in a trade with the Jaguars.

In 1995, the Packers drafted Alabama QB Jay Barker in the fifth round (didn't work out).

In 1998, they drafted Matt Hasselbeck in the 6th round ... in 2001 he was flipped as part of a first-round trade up and a third-round pick from Seattle.

In 1999, the Packers drafted Aaron Brooks in the 4th round. The Packers traded Brooks and tight end Lamont Hall to the New Orleans Saints for linebacker K. D. Williams and the Saints' third-round pick in the 2001 draft ahead of the 2000 season.

In 2002, Craig Nall was drafted in the 5th round. 

In 2005, Aaron Rodgers was selected with the 24th overall pick and Favre in his prime ... you know what happened there.

In 2008, when Rodgers took over as the starter from Favre, the Packers drafted Brian Brohm (bust) in the second round, and Matt Flynn seventh (eventually received a top comp pick for him). 

In 2015, Brett Hundley was selected in the 5th round. In 2020, Jordan Love was picked 26th overall. When Love finally got the job heading into the 2023 season and Rodgers was traded, the Packers picked Sean Clifford in the 5th round.

This is what these guys do, time after time. No feelings considered. Deal with it, or be gone - even when you're a Hall of Famer.

 - You think the Patriots front office was a) sick of watching the underwhelming Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe throwing at practice, and b) tired of Belichick's defensive/special teams preferences?

The Patriots couldn't have picked two bigger arms than Maye and Milton. It will be bombs away at camp this summer, which should be fun (and sometimes frightening) to watch.

In Belichick's final draft last year, with an obviously challenged offense needing immediate help, Belichick spent his first three picks on defense and two more of his top nine picks on specialists who disappointed.

Wolf and Co. went all offense with their first five picks, and seven of eight.

A new era, indeed.

- Speaking of Zappe, I would start contacting some real estate agents. Patriots obviously going to a different physical profile.

Well, bye.

- Updated depth chart (link):