Drake Maye: New England's Future?
The 2024 NFL Draft brought a class of QBs with great talent, and so much so that three quarterbacks were selected in the first three picks. The New England Patriots opted to find their new quarterback of the future and chose Drake Maye, quarterback of the North Carolina Tar Heels, with the number 3 overall pick.
Since the departure of Tom Brady, the Boston franchise has tried to find a QB who is capable of guiding the offense and helping the Patriots return to where they belong. In 2021 they bet on Mac Jones, whom they selected with the 15th pick in that year's draft, but the quarterback who graduated from the University of Alabama did not measure up and after three years he ended up leaving via trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars to back up Trevor Lawrence.
New England arrived at the 2024 NFL Draft with the pressure of not failing with its selection and making the same mistakes again. Despite having had offers to change their number 3 selection with both the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants being two interested parties, they decided to stay and choose who they hope will be the face of the reconstruction and the new leader of the offense for many years to come.
Who is Drake Maye, the new New England Patriots QB selected in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Drake Maye was born on August 30, 2002 in Charlotte and comes from a family with sports DNA and Tar Heels blood in his veins. His father was a UNC QB in the 1980s and his brothers, Luke and Beau, played on the North Carolina basketball team.
The 21-year-old 2021 QB originally committed to the University of Alabama, but a last-minute call from UNC made him change his mind and he headed to the Tar Heels to continue the family tradition. He is a quarterback with an ideal physique for the position, he has very good mobility and interesting speed. In addition to his physical and athletic attributes, Maye is an excellent passer with a cannon in his arm and great accuracy.
In his first year in North Carolina he played only four games and was a substitute for Sam Howell (Seattle Seahawks QB). Following Howell's departure to the Washington Commanders, Maye took charge of the offense and immediately made an impression, not only with his ability to lead but with his talent. He finished 2022 with 4,321 passing yards, 38 TDs and only 7 interceptions.
During 2023, and with the 2024 NFL Draft in sight, Drake Maye was once again UNC's best player. Although his production decreased, in 12 games -8 wins and 4 losses- he managed to achieve 3,608 passing yards -63.3% effectiveness-, 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Really good numbers that showed the talent of the young quarterback, who during that season was not surrounded by elite talent, like you would see at a LSU or Ohio State.
Although Drake Maye did not take part in the Combine and only made throws at the Pro Day, the New England Patriots were delighted with him after the interviews and decided to choose him with pick 3. Now in the NFL, Maye will have the difficult task of leading a of the most successful franchises in the league, which faces a total reconstruction in an extremely difficult division going against elite QB talent such as Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers and Tua Tagovailoa, with a rookie head coach in Jerod Mayo and a new GM in Eliot Wolf and with great expectations for the future.