After weeks of deliberation, the New England Patriots opted to hold onto the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and select Drake Maye, the quarterback they hope helps usher in a new era in Foxboro.
The 6-foot-4, 223-pound quarterback seemed primed to be a top-five draft pick for the last couple of years given his stature and production with the Tar Heels.
Maye is the second North Carolina quarterback to be selected in the first round in school history. Mitch Trubisky became the first in 2017 when the Chicago Bears took him with the No. 2 pick.
The Patriots are hoping Maye can bring stability to the quarterback position, something they haven’t witnessed since Tom Brady left following the 2019 season.
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‘The Beast’ breakdown
Maye ranked No. 4 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“Maye needs to cut down on the reckless decisions, but he is a well-put-together passer with the on-field command, athletic instincts and arm talent to create solutions for the problems that NFL defenses present. With his physical gifts and smarts, he is cut from the same cloth as Justin Herbert and has a similar ceiling as an NFL player.”
Coaching intel
What two anonymous coaches had to say about Maye in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“Really good arm. Love his pocket presence. His awareness of where all the rushers are — whether it was four, five or six (coming) — was off the charts. It made him hard to pass rush. Any risk you took, whether it was going above and trying to turn the corner, or going inside, he felt it and was able to expose you. He could make you pay on just about anything you do. Pretty soon, he’d force you into pass rushing without aggression. He was really hard to deal with. I wouldn’t say he’s Trevor (Lawrence) but he’s probably the best we’ve seen since Trevor.”
“I think he could be a better quarterback than Caleb Williams if you can protect him. He throws the s— out of it, but the last two years we could tell that he really doesn’t like all that stuff around him. He gets a little bit scared back there, in my opinion. He is a good athlete, big, really good arm. But I thought (former UNC QB) Sam Howell was a tougher kid. He’s not as talented as Drake Maye. Sam could run it but he would stay in that pocket and be effective. But I didn’t think Kenny Pickett was worth a s— and he got drafted in the first round.”
Why he’s a first-round pick
Maye produced huge numbers during his 2022 redshirt freshman season in Chapel Hill, making him a top NFL Draft prospect. He threw for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns, seven interceptions and added seven rushing touchdowns. Maye’s numbers dropped off during the 2023 campaign with 3,608 yards, 24 touchdown passes, nine interceptions and nine rushing scores. He started 26 consecutive games the past two seasons and North Carolina finished with a 17 -9 record with Maye under center.
Drake Maye knows how to make plays 👏@UNCFootball | @DrakeMaye2 | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/eLVxuZAZu2
— NFL (@NFL) March 25, 2024
Scott Dochterman grades the pick
New England is taking a chance on potential over experience. The Patriots had options to trade down and perhaps stockpile at other positions, but the need at quarterback was greater. It’s a risk for New England, which ruined a quarterback in Mac Jones, but it’s the right one.
Maye feels like a carbon copy of the prototypical quarterback. His size and arm strength are reminiscent of Andrew Luck. His statistics back it up over his two seasons as a starter: 7,929 yards, 62 touchdowns, 16 interceptions and a 64.9 completion percentage. He also was a tough runner with 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns.
There’s no question Maye has every tangible quality NFL personnel seek in a quarterback and his intangible gifts are obvious as well. But his career trajectory will move upward if he can slow down a bit and make all of the plays. That’s going to require patience from the front office, coaches and teammates — as well as himself. Considering his potential, Maye may have the most upside of any quarterback in the draft. That’s worth betting on.
Grade: A
How he fits
Maye is the quarterback of the future. There’s no two ways around that. Even before drafting him, Jerod Mayo said there was “no ceiling” to Maye’s game. That said, the Patriots know Maye could need time to develop. Maye, 21, is the second-youngest quarterback expected to be drafted (only J.J. McCarthy is younger). So perhaps Maye isn’t a day-one starter and sits the first half of next season as he continues to learn the NFL game. But after Thursday night, he’s the most important player in the Patriots organization.
Rookie impact
Let the quarterback competition begin. The Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett to a one-year deal because they felt he’d be able to handle two different roles. The Pats believe Brissett is good enough to win a quarterback competition and aptly run an offense he’s familiar with until the time comes for Maye to play. (Remember, Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf came up in the Packers scouting system where they have no problem keeping first-round quarterbacks on the bench to learn.) And then if Brissett does slide to the bench for Maye, the Pats are confident he’s the right kind of veteran leader to aid a rookie quarterback. So from today on, Brissett and Maye are probably competing to start the season opener.
Depth-chart impact
The guess here is Brissett will get the majority of first-team reps in minicamp and OTAs while Maye learns the offense. (Brissett has the upper hand since he already worked with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.) But once training camp begins, the competition will too. Maye has great size and a big arm, traits that were encouraging for the Patriots. Lost in the shuffle is Bailey Zappe, the third-year quarterback who was a fourth-round pick in 2022 and started six games for the team last season. It wouldn’t be a shock if he were traded before the season begins.
They also could have picked …
This was the right selection. Ideally, you shouldn’t have a top-three pick (and a chance to draft a franchise quarterback) very often. So when you get the opportunity, you take it. I suppose the Patriots also could’ve drafted McCarthy, but I prefer Maye between the two. They also could’ve traded down with a team like the Minnesota Vikings. But it’s hard to argue with a potential quarterback of the future.
Fast evaluation
The Patriots have to be ecstatic. They landed a 6-foot-4 quarterback with a strong arm who can throw on the run. Their roster is still a long way from contention, but nothing matters in the NFL until you have your quarterback. And now the Patriots hope they have theirs.
(Photo courtesy of University of North Carolina Athletics)
