The New England Patriots are not fretting their decision to go without selecting a wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft.
According to Patriots Wire’s Sophie Weller, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf stated at his press conference on Saturday that the franchise thought it best to forego selecting a wide receiver in the draft in reaction to the way selections were being made from round to round.
”That's how the board fell,” Wolf said. “There were some situations were there were receivers that we liked, that just got picked in front of where we were... It was not a conscious decision. And I think we'll probably be pretty competitive here with the undrafted guys at that position."
The wide receiver position was one of the Patriots’ most pressing areas of need entering the draft. New England went with Utah left tackle Caleb Lomu at No. 28 overall in the first round of the draft, after Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion was taken at No. 24 by the Cleveland Browns. However, New England did have the chance to select Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in place of Lomu.
Mississippi WR De’Zhaun Stribling (No. 33 overall) and Alabama WR Germie Bernard (No. 47) were selected before the Patriots went on the clock at No. 55 overall in the second round. New England drafted Illinois defensive end Gabe Jacas with the pick. Edge rusher was also another pressing area of need for the team.
The Patriots also had the chance to select Oregon WR Malik Benson at No. 196 overall in the sixth round for depth at receiver, but they went with Texas A&M offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover with the pick.
New England traded away their picks in the fourth and fifth rounds this year. The Patriots missed out on having the chance to select wide receivers such as Elijah Sarratt (Indiana) and Colbie Young (Georgia). However, the Patriots are anticipated to turn their attention toward pursuing a trade for Philadelphia Eagles star WR A.J. Brown in the trade market, with a deal expected to materialize around June 1.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Eliot Wolf reveals why Patriots didn't draft a wide receiver