Eliot Wolf Breaks Down Patriots' Decision To Draft Drake Maye

Were the New England Patriots ever close to trading away the pick they used to draft Drake Maye? According to Eliot Wolf, they were not.

The Patriots' executive vice president of player personnel spoke to NFL Network ahead of Super Bowl LX Opening Night, and fielded questions about how the selection of the team's MVP-caliber quarterback helped speed up the team's drastic rebuild process.

So was the pick ever going to be moved?

"No, we weren't close to trading," Wolf said. "We felt like we knew what Drake could be, and obviously, here we are. Maybe the timeline's a little faster than some people thought, but from day one, he's put his head down and worked."

Of course, it's easy to say that now. Maye has turned into one of the game's top gunslingers in just his second year and has the Patriots just one win away from their seventh Super Bowl in franchise history. But there were reports that the Minnesota Vikings wanted to send three first-round picks to move up, and the New York Giants had also expressed interest in Maye.

Feb 2, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) speaks to the media during Opening Night for Super Bowl LX at San Jose Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Instead of moving down and adding draft picks, the Patriots were confident in Maye's abilities to help restore the franchise's hopes. It paid off, as Maye became just the second-youngest quarterback to lead his team to the Super Bowl, trailing just Dan Marino.

But it wasn't pretty to start. Sure, Maye impressed when he was on the field, but a 4-13 season diluted a great rookie season. So when 2025 rolled around, this time with Mike Vrabel having a headset instead of Jerod Mayo, it might have been far-fetched to expect an AFC title this early on.

The Patriots Were Never Going To Trade Away The Drake Maye Pick

A lot of the faith quickly came in the team's Sunday Night Football upset against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.

"To be in the Super Bowl, maybe not, that's not how we look at it," Wolf said. "We just kept winning. Really starting with that Buffalo game in October, like some of those plays I was talking about. Drake and then (kicker Andy) Borregales hitting the game winner, and some of the opportunistic defensive plays."

So now Wolf is back in the Super Bowl after winning one with the Green Bay Packers in 2010. This time, he's helped to rebuild the Patriots -- and it all started with the all-important Maye draft pick two Aprils ago.

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