2B MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2024 THE NEWS LEADER Then again, as good as it looks on pa- per, striking consensus in an NFL war room is not always automatic. Depend- ing on how the board shakes out, Wolf might getting full agreement as one of the stickiest challenges in his new role. biggest issue you have as a year general manager is you are really looking to please said Mark Dominik, the former Tampa Bay Bucca- neers GM and current NFL analyst for SiriusXM NFL Radio. want every- body to be on the same page. And that can be a mistake and you can really mess it up, because you got the job because an What happens if an area scout push- es one prospect, while the coaches pre- fer another? Said Dominik: want Eliot Wolf to trust his scouting instincts and the years he put in, to just go with what he thinks is best instead of trying to have commu- nity Wolf knows.
The buck must stop somewhere. And given how critical this draft is for a franchise seeking new life after Belich- ick and holding the third pick overall after a 4-13 in 2023 Wolf needs to win at this ASAP. Of course, that means they miss on picking the franchise quarterback from a top-heavy crop of passers. Bar- ring something major, Caleb Williams be an option with the Chicago Bears locked in to select the USC star with the top pick overall. And the reign- ing Heisman Trophy winner, Jay- den Daniels, might be gone, too, to the Washington Commanders.
That could leave the Patriots picking between North Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy. Wolf played it coy as he met with the media on Thursday, demonstrating that he has the pre-draft smokescreen mes- saging down pat. Asked if he could envi- sion Daniels, Maye or McCarthy running the Patriots he agreed and add- ed, think you could open it up to some other names as Is he thinking Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix? You could at least suspect that as he suggested be willing to trade down from the third slot.
open to he said. up, moving down. open for business in the round and in ev- ery round. We have some holes we feel like we need to in the draft. drafting to develop the team.
The more picks we have the Until further notice, Wolf is the de facto GM. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has indicated that he will formalize the role later, which could involve an expan- sive search. Yet Wolf, entrusted to out roster with the draft and free agency, can undoubtedly secure himself as the front-runner for the permanent GM post by acing the big test that looms. fair to wonder whether Belichick just 15 victories from surpassing Don Shula as the all-time winningest coach would still be coaching the Pa- triots had he relinquished control over personnel decisions. Sure, that seems unfathomable when considering the power Belichick wielded and the six Su- per Bowl trophies he won.
Yet the medi- ocre draft record in years says otherwise. Over the last 10 drafts, the Patriots se- lected just one position player (since- traded quarterback Mac Jones) who earned a Pro Bowl appearance with the team fewest by any NFL team during that span. According to Pro Football Reference, two players drafted by the Patriots during that span won All-Pro Pro Bowl honors with the team as special teamers (punt returner Marcus Jones and punter Jake Bailey). And two other Patriots draftees since 2014, guard Joe Thuney (2016) and re- ceiver-kick returner Braxton Berrios (2018), won such honors while playing for other teams. But it.
As much as New Eng- fortunes soured after Tom departure, the collective draft perfor- mance was also a key ingredient to the decline a striking contrast to the type of impact generated during the half of reign. Now Wolf, who joined the Patriots as a consultant in 2020, is pegged to spear- head a fresh approach. His pedigree hurt. His father, Ron, is the Hall of Fame GM who built a Super Bowl- winner with the Green Bay Packers dur- ing the 1990s. Eliot was 10 years old when he attended his scouting com- bine with his father.
Through high school and college, he learned the ropes in the scouting department. Hired by his successor, Ted Thompson, he climbed the ladder during 14 years with the Packers. no wonder that Wolf talks about the Packer Way as a model. This includes the grading system that Wolf and High- smith have installed, scrapping the Pa- previous role-based measures to a value-based system. a little bit more similar to what we did in Green Wolf said during the combine.
think it makes it a lot easier for scouts to rate guys and put them in a stack of like, the best, this the worst, and every- thing in between falls into rather than sort of more nuanced approaches. I just think it makes it it accounts value better, and it also makes it easier for the scouts in the fall as well as in the spring to determine where guys would get Then the old-school advice from his father that could impact Wolf current mission. think in terms of scouting itself, just kind of trust what you see and be- lieve in Wolf said. also lessons about people. I still believe and this is great to be able to work with Jerod, who also believes that this is a people busi- ness and about developing people.
And the culture is created from the peo- ple in the He could get a consensus, too, if the culture is built with winning. Bell Continued from Page 1B Eliot Wolf is preparing to run the Patriots draft since 1999 without Bill Belichick in charge. KIRBY TODAY SPORTS Williams says. is high! It is far! It is gone! Bernie goes boom! took that to the next Trying to make a difference While the Black population in Major League Baseball has plummeted to 5.7%, its lowest since 1955 the year after Jackie Robinson retired Diamond Alle- giance, an organization trying to make baseball to everyone, just committed $1 billion to help revolution- ize club baseball. The organization is committed to making baseball accessible to everyone, providing scholarship and as- sistance.
They want to make sure the families who spending $20,000 for their kids to be in showcase games can still be recognized by college and pro recruiters. need to help change the model for these University of Michigan baseball coach Tracy Smith tells USA TODAY Sports. need to help reduce the cost and improve the of travel sports in baseball and softball. We have such a huge disconnect right Sandy Ogg, founder of Diamond Alle- giance, says the goal is to simply create a more accessible and travel baseball ecosystem. They want to re- duce family costs, and increase youth participation in underrepresented com- munities.
While the Black population in baseball is the lowest in nearly 70 years, there is an even lower percentage of Black players in the college ranks. Around the base paths early, but a large number of pitchers and pro scouts are convinced the ball is juiced this season. There are 125 players who have an average exit ve- locity of at least 100-mph among their top hits, according to Statcast. just one veteran National League pitcher said. things are like golf balls the way MLB of course, insist there is no this season in the base- balls.
You want to know why the San Die- go Padres slashed their payroll by $95 million this season? The Padres will receive only $17 mil- lion from the Diamond Sports Group instead of the $360 million they were scheduled to receive from 2024-2032. Kudos to the Arizona Diamond- backs for surprising Jim Marshall, 92, with a 2023 National League pennant- winning ring this past week. Marshall is a member of the original Mets and original front executive with the D-backs. The Texas Rangers privately be- lieve that three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, who has been recovering from herniated disc surgery, could be back by mid-May, a month ahead of schedule. Now that Los Angeles Angels re- liever Robert Stephenson is out for the year, the Angels will have a $2.5 million club option on Stephenson in 2027.
The Angels made sure to protect them- selves with three-year, $33 million contract in case he missed most of a season. It was similar to the $82.5 million deal that John Lackey signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2009 that added a year at the league minimum if he missed a season because of an arm injury. The Chicago White Sox knew it would be a rough season, but they nev- er envisioned this nightmare. They have been shut out seven times this season, the most by any team in the 19 games since at least 1900. The biggest surprise this season has been the Boston Red starting rotation.
Their 1.72 ERA is the lowest through 21 games since 1920, and the second-lowest by any team since 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Quote of the week Doc Gooden, when asked about his career being hurt by drug abuse: got to be thankful for the things I did accomplish, and not worry about the things that happen. Not to blow smoke, but I won just about every award a pitcher can win. I won the World Series with both New York teams, having your number retired, last year I was inducted into the Negro League Hall of Game. I have nothing to be ashamed of about my ca- Nightengale Continued from Page 1B (All times Eastern) Monday, April 22 Hockey National Hockey League 7 p.m.
ESPN Toronto at Boston 7:30 p.m. ESP2 N.Y. Islanders at Carolina 9:30 p.m. ESPN Vegas at Dallas 10 p.m. ESP2 L.A.
Kings at Edmonton Basketball National Basketball Assoc. 7 p.m. NBAt Orlando at Cleveland 7:30 p.m. TNT Philadelphia at N.Y. Knicks 10 p.m.
TNT L.A. Lakers at Denver Baseball Major League Baseball 1:05 p.m. MLBN Oakland at N.Y. Yankees 7:40 p.m. FS1 Chicago at Minnesota 9:38 p.m.
MLBN Baltimore at L.A. Angels 9:45 p.m. N.Y. Mets at San Fran- cisco SPORTS ON TV from the club, which plays in the Eredi- visie, the top tier of Dutch soccer. Dest what appears to be a serious knee injury during Sat- training PSV said in a statement.
long the winger will be sidelined is still being investigated. That it will be an extended period is almost Dest, 23, has been on loan from FC Barcelona since August and has two goals and seven assists in 37 matches for PSV. Dest has 33 caps for the United States and likely in making the team roster for Copa America, which is from June 20 to July 14 at 14 host cities. American teenager Miller clocks fastest 100 meters of season American teenager Christian Miller sprinted to the quickest 100-meter time in the world this year at a high school athletics meet on Saturday. The 17-year-old Georgia recruit pulled away from the to blaze to a time of 9.93 seconds in Clermont, Flori- da, breaking Trayvon U.S.
un- der-20 100m record of 9.97 set in 2014. While it is early in the outdoor track and season, it topped the previous world lead of 9.99 set last month by Ni- Favour Ashe. American Noah Lyles, triple gold medalist at last world championships, ran 10.01 on April 13. Wire reports Verstappen adds China to his list of Formula One victories SHANGHAI Triple world champion Max Verstappen won Formula Chinese Grand Prix in years on Sunday with Lando Norris a surprise second to deny Red Bull the one-two. The comfortable victory from pole position at a Shanghai circuit that last hosted a grand prix in 2019 was Verstap- fourth in races in 2024 and came after he also won the Saturday sprint.
Mexican team mate Sergio Perez, closest championship ri- val but now 25 points behind, complet- ed the podium after a dry race with two safety car periods to bunch up the Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz fourth and respec- tively with George Russell sixth and Aston Fernando Alonso seventh with a bonus point for fastest lap. USMNT defender Dest sustains knee injury Sergino availability for the U.S. National match at Copa America is in question after the defend- er injured his knee Saturday during practice with his PSV Eindhoven squad. The Netherlands-born Dest, a U.S. citizen, sustained a knee inju- according to a statement Sunday IN BRIEF.
