A new era of the New England Patriots starts this fall for the upcoming season as besides a new head coach in Jerod Mayo, they drafted Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. While there were two highly-touted quarterbacks taken before, the Patriots had a wide selection of talent, but ended up picking the University of North Carolina product as executive Eliot Wolf explains the decision.
Wolf has been the “de facto” general manger for the Patriots after the team parted ways with Bill Belichick and was at the forefront of a selection that could start a new era with a bang. He was on “The Adam Schefter Podcast” and said that it was a mixture of. the “talent” and “person” that made New England fall in love with Maye.
“The talent and the person,” Wolf said via Tim Crowley of NESN.com. “He’s a great person, he’s tough, he’s gritty, he was productive. He elevated those around him. He’s 6-foot-4 1/2 and 225 pounds. He can really throw the ball. He’s athletic. I think it’s a combination of those things. We think there’s a lot to develop with him whenever that time may be.”
Wolf said that they couldn't pass up Maye with talks of trading off of pick
Maye played in three seasons for the Tar Heels where the last two showed truly why the 21-year old has the ability to be a starting quarterback for the future. Last season, he threw for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, which were down from the year before where he passed over 4,000 yards, 38 touchdowns, and seven picks.
“His character and his passion for football. His drive. He’s an all-around good person, he’s really tough, he’s all football,” Wolf continued about his new quarterback. “He comes from a good family. I could go on and on about this guy. Those things will move forward with us. He’s a younger person. As he assimilates into our locker room, I think our players will rally around him.”
In another timeline, the Patriots might not have had Maye on their roster as there were reportedly multiple teams that wanted to trade into the No. 3 pick and take the Tar Heel themselves or another player they loved. Wolf would confirm that notion and even said they were “listening,” but the decision to stay put was simple for them as they did not want to pass up on Maye.
“We were listening throughout the process,” Wolf said. “We weren’t stringing these teams along. The opportunity to pick Drake superseded anything that anyone offered.”
Maye talks the biggest traits to bring into rookie season with Patriots
Now that he's on the roster, he will be be competing for the starting job against veteran Jacoby Brissett. When Maye spoke about the opportunity being with the Patriots, he mentioned that “being detailed” will be his main goal heading into camp according to Khari Thompson of Boston.com.
“The biggest thing is being detailed with coach Van Pelt’s offense, knowing all the details first,” Maye said. “I think going out there like a deer in the headlights as a rookie is not smart. So, really fine-tuning that and really studying it, getting to know it, and being able to teach it back to somebody.”
“That’s kind of how I learn things,” Maye continued. “Being able to teach it back to somebody is when I really feel like you know it. So, grind that, get really detailed in the playbook, all the motions, all the little stuff.”
Maye said his “game translates pretty well to the NFL”
There's no doubt that Maye will have to fill in the massive void left by Tom Brady who led New England to six Super Bowls before finishing out his playing career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Mac Jones couldn't do it, the organization is hoping Maye could be the one to bring them back to a positive state after a string of bad seasons as the 21-year old said that his timing will be crucial to get down in his first season.
“I think that’s a big thing in the NFL, using cadence as a weapon and just starting from there,” Maye said. “Just being under center. You go under center a lot in the redzone during college but like you said not as much in the open field, so getting used to that. I feel like my game translates pretty well to the NFL, so I’m looking forward to that and looking forward to just getting with the guys, getting out there, and getting going.”
UNC coach confident in big jump for Maye in NFL
A big football name that has got to see Maye play first hand is Clyde Christensen who is an offensive analyst for the University of North Carolina and also coached stellar signal-callers like Brady and Peyton Manning in the past. He said that while the footwork definitely needs work, people are going to see a “big jump in his game.”
“The footwork’s a little bit rogue, but he’ll reel that in,” Christensen said. “I think that getting into the pro system, and just doing it full-time without any other distractions, that you’ll see a big jump in his game, just in his footwork and some of the things people have been critical of, which probably I don’t agree with.”
Maye excited for a “new beginning” with New England
Besides the football aspect in leading a historic franchise like the Patriots back to the promised land, he's also “excited for a new beginning.” He would express how he has been in North Carolina for his “whole life” so he's elated to join a city that has other big-time teams like the Celtics in basketball and the Bruins in hockey.
“I’m just excited for a new beginning,” Maye said. “I’ve been in North Carolina for my whole life. I’m excited to get somewhere new. It’s a great sports town up there, and I know they’ve got a lot going on right now with the Bruins and Celtics. So, excited to join that and get things going.”
New England fans are hoping that Maye and the new coaching staff can improve after a 4-13 record where they finished last in the AFC East.
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