Brian Manzullo

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Lions chose New England Patriots director of pro scouting Bob Quinn to run the front office as general manager last January.

Before that, however, they reportedly had their sights set on Eliot Wolf.

At the time, Wolf was the director of player personnel for the Green Bay Packers, working under general manager Ted Thompson. He was promoted to director of football operations last month.

He's the son of former NFL executive Ron Wolf and is one of the hottest names in NFL front-office circles. He was rumored as a target when the Lions fired GM Martin Mayhew last fall and hired former NFL GM Ernie Accorsi to advise them in their search for a replacement.

It turns out, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Lions indeed had Wolf, 34, as their "first choice" and it was "his job" if he wanted it. But Thompson and the Packers denied the Lions' request to interview him, apparently a recurring theme in the Packers' organization.

More from McGinn:

Here's how one of Wolf's friends read the situation: "I don't think Eliot would have turned it down. I think he would have liked the chance to interview for it, especially when he saw who got it. I think he's a little (expletive), but he's a good team guy."

The Lions reportedly ended up interviewing Quinn, interim Lions general manager Sheldon White and New York Giants assistant general manager Kevin Abrams. They picked Quinn in early January.

Wolf's father, Ron, admitted a level of intrigue in the Lions' GM job in 2008, when the Lions fired Matt Millen and eventually replaced him with Mayhew. But he turned down the opportunity because he had just closed on a house in Green Bay, according to McGinn:

"Of all the franchises in the National Football League, the one that intrigues me the most is that franchise (Detroit) and its history," Ron Wolf said in August. "I would have explored that. I know I would have."

Either way, the Lions move on, entering their first NFL draft this week under the Quinn regime.

Contact Brian Manzullo: bmanzullo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianManzullo.

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Here's some data on how bad the Detroit Lions have drafted