Eliot Wolf, Patriots stay aggressive on Day 2 to get their guys

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 24: General manager Eliot Wolf of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images A night after moving up in Round 1 of the NFL Draft to select offensive tackle Caleb Lomu , the Patriots found themselves in a similar position late in Round 2. With five edge rushers coming off the board early in the second round, New England struck a deal again — this time trading up eight spots to selected edge rusher Gabe Jacas .

“We were exploring the board, and Gabe was the highest rated player that we had on there, obviously at a position of need. And we felt like rather than waiting — I said this last night about Caleb too — I was a little bit surprised he wasn’t off the board already,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said. “We tried to pull the trigger.

We were calling a bunch of teams before we ended up making the trade and fortunately the Chargers wanted to acquire more picks. So, we were able to get up and acquire the player we coveted. ” The move up for both Lomu and Jacas cost the Patriots two additional fourth-round picks and one sixth-round selection.

That level of aggression wasn’t necessarily the strategy entering the week, but rather an in-the-moment decision to secure two players the team highly valued. “Wouldn’t say that that was necessarily the plan. We were open to doing what was best for the team.