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Has Eliot Wolf done enough to secure the GM title long-term? | Guregian

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If Eliot Wolf didn't have the GM job locked up before, he does now.

Extending defensive tackle Christian Barmore, a cornerstone piece on the defense and one of the team's few legitimate stars, was just the latest feather in his cap.

And while it remains to be seen if he smacked it out of the park with the 2024 draft class, or it ultimately proves a bust, Wolf has injected some life into the Patriots, who are hoping to become a contender once again.

In short, he has accomplished everything that was mapped out on the team's offseason checklist.

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Both Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo said it was a priority to re-sign their top in-house free agents, and that's exactly what went down.

Michael Onwenu? Check.

Hunter Henry? Check.

Kyle Dugger? Check.

Josh Uche? Check.

Anfernee Jennings? Check.

Kendrick Bourne? Check.

And with Monday's news, Wolf made sure one of his young stars won't be headed to free agency after next season, signing Barmore to a four-year contract extension worth up to $92 million. And money-wise, that stands as a really good deal for the Patriots, given how much stars on the defensive line have been getting.

During the owner's meetings, Mayo talked about the importance of locking up Barmore, their 2021 second-round draft pick.

"One thing about Barmore, he's one of those players, he's developed here," Mayo said last month. "There were some questions coming out of college, obviously, you know his potential. He's done a fantastic job really growing up … Once again, it goes back to — we want to keep our own. We want to keep our own players."

Mission accomplished.

Beyond that, team owner Robert Kraft stated his desire to get a "top-rate young quarterback" in the draft.

While the Patriots reportedly had offers to trade out of the No. 3 pick, they resisted the temptation, taking UNC's Drake Maye. So that earns another checkmark.

Obviously, there's no guarantee of Maye becoming a star, or being the franchise quarterback that's hoped for, but he certainly has the traits to evolve into something special.

It's just up to the coaching staff to develop him from this point on.

Wolf, meanwhile, vowed to "weaponize" the offense.

"We need to add some weapons to the offense," Wolf said during his pre-draft press conference. "We need to shore up the offensive line. We have good players already at those positions but really just increasing the depth and the competition."

It's certainly debatable whether Wolf has met the challenge in this regard, but he's probably done enough to keep his job especially with his contract reportedly expiring soon. In other words, a decision has to come down fairly soon on his employment going forward.

Kraft said he would bring in other candidates, but based on what's transpired, Wolf has to be the leader in the clubhouse, if he hasn't already been given assurances.

Digging deeper, he wasn't able to land talented wideout Calvin Ridley in free agency, and he didn't necessarily draft anyone that's going to strike fear in an opposing defense, but he did add several wideouts and a tight end who have the capability of lifting the unit.

Second-round pick Ja'lynn Polk might not be a difference-maker, but he is a tough, crafty playmaker with some ball skills who will do well running the short to intermediate routes in the middle of the field. He could very well wind up as Maye's security blanket.

He's also a pretty explosive leaper (37.5 vertical jump) who can go up and get the football.

Fourth-round pick Javon Baker, meanwhile, also seems to be a chunk play waiting to happen. Like Polk, he has great aerial skills.

As for seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell, he's certainly not a prototypical in-line tight end. He has some pass-catching skills, so it'll be interesting to see where he fits, if he fits at all.

If there's a knock, perhaps Wolf should have been more aggressive moving up the board to snag a better receiver in the second round - one report suggested the Patriots tried to move back into the first round, but weren't able to pull it off - settling for Polk.

In terms of the offensive line, left tackle also remains a question mark.

Wolf did snag former Steeler Chukwuma Okorafor in free agency, drafted a right tackle (Caedan Wallace) who he believes can move to the left side, and another guard (Layden Robinson) who will compete for a starting job, and at the very least, provide depth.

In the end, though, Wolf addressed all of the team's major needs. He re-signed important in-house players, hammered home shoring up the offense (7 of 8 picks) in the draft, and also extended one of his best young players in Barmore.

After being thrust in as the de facto GM in January following Bill Belichick's departure, he's kept the ship afloat, and also provided a smidgeon of hope.

Bottom line: He's done enough to keep the title, if he doesn't already have it.

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