According to multiple reports, two Green Bay Packers executives will be the first two candidates the 49ers interview for their vacant general manager position on Thursday.
One of those candidates is Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf, who is the son of longtime Packers executive Ron Wolf. The elder Wolf was widely credited with bringing success back to the Green Bay organization after a period of mediocrity and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Eliot Wolf, 34, has already made a name for himself as one of the best talent evaluators in the NFL. Andrew Brandt of the MMQB worked closely with Wolf during his time in the Green Bay front office, and told Gary and Larry on Wednesday that Wolf has had excellent scouting abilities from a very young age.
“When I got to Green Bay in ’99, he was a kid in high school, pulling off the (draft) board and knowing all about these players,” Brandt said. “He went on to University of Miami — came out started working with us. So he has grown up in this business. He’s lived it with his dad. I can’t say enough good things about his scouting abilities even at a very young age.”
Wolf has had a meteoric rise through the Green Bay front office, starting out as a pro personnel assistant in 2004, working his way up to second in command behind general manager Ted Thompson.
“You know what you’re getting (with Wolf). You’re getting draft and develop. You’re getting emphasis on college scouting. Very little action in the free agent market.”
Brandt went on to explain what has made the Packers front office so successful over the years, citing a consistent philosophy from top to bottom.
“It’s a philosophy. It’s draft and develop. It’s bring along young players, it’s trusting coaches to play young players. It’s coaches trusting scouts, working well together,” Brandt said. “Any coach coming in, like a Mike McCarthy, was well aware, this is how we do it. We don’t go for quick fixes, we don’t play in free agency. We draft, we develop, we want our coaches to play players right away — we don’t care they’re not experienced. We develop a pipeline of talent and sign them up long term. That’s always been the approach in Green Bay.”
Listen to the full interview below