A new era has arrived in the New England Patriots system. Bill Belichick has officially passed on the responsibilities of creating a new dynasty to Jerod Mayo. There were a fair amount of moves so far in the offseason like acquiring Jacoby Brissett. But, none were more important than them acquiring the star out of North Carolina, Drake Maye, in the NFL Draft. It was not much of a dilemma after Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels got picked because he was clearly one of the three best signal callers in the class. But, this move still raised eyebrows.
Patriots fans have not had to change quarterbacks in the majority of the past two decades. Obviously, they immediately want to see if this NFL Draft pick pans out and if Drake Maye does become the next Tom Brady. But, it is going to take a lot of time before any of that happens. The first thing that Coach Jerod Mayo wants to do is help the former North Carolina star by making him learn by fighting it out with Jacoby Brissett, via Cameron Wolfe of the NFL.
“A lot of good players in that locker room. Look, Jacoby understands. He’s a mentor. He’s very smart, and has great leadership skills, and hopefully, Drake can learn something from him, as well. I would say we’re going to compete all spring. We’re going to compete during training camp, and the best player will start,” the Patriots head honcho unveiled.
This plan is not at all bad. Tom Brady had to struggle against Drew Bledsoe first too. The same goes for Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers along with Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith. A lot of new NFL Draft prospects need to be shown the way first before they get to thrive on their own.
What stood out for the Patriots?
The name Drake Maye has been making rounds in NFL Draft mocks throughout the whole year. Who really is he and what do the Patriots see that most casual fans don't? Well, his 2022 ACC Player of the Year award can speak for itself but a little elaboration might help. Throughout three years of college football, he managed to rack in 8,018 passing yards with an average gain of 8.4 per pass.
This clearly impressed Jerod Mayo and the rest of the coaching staff. But, there was a choice to trade down and pick him later. The Patriots didn't make that call and avoided all the risks that came with it too.
“Like Bill, I believe in draft-and-develop long-term. It's always good to have a quarterback on a rookie deal. At the same time, I don't want to get into the game of, ‘I really like this guy, let me trade back 3 picks to pick something up.' No, just take him. If we feel like he's an impact player, then take him,” the Patriots head honcho declared.
His lethality in throwing near the end zone is also impeccable. Maye threw 63 touchdowns for North Carolina but the number of interceptions, which clocks in at 16 in his career, need to be fixed. The Patriots don't expect him to get over these woes immediately but they do know that he'll be better.
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