The New England Patriots resisted the urge to trade down and instead chose the quarterback they hope can one day help bring them back to relevance.
North Carolina’s Drake Maye was the pick for the Patriots at No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday. It wasn’t necessarily a surprising pick, but there was enough pre-draft buzz to make some question what the team would ultimately do when they were on the clock.
Were they going to get the quarterback and rebuild the roster with the biggest need finally addressed, or would they trade back for more picks to fill out their struggling offense?
The Patriots made the right decision by going with the first option and getting one of the top-three quarterbacks on the draft board.
Maye comes to New England with an exceptionally high ceiling. In fact, his ceiling might be higher than the top-two quarterbacks, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, in the draft. He can make all of the throws on the field, and he’s already an elite deep ball thrower.
The former Tar Heel is also tenacious and always looking for ways to improve, which will come in handy as he works to make the transition to the next level. He clearly has some things to work on including his patience in the pocket and footwork.
But those are both teachable things for a player that really only played two seasons of football in college. In 2022, he looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the country in his first season as a starter with 342 completions for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
With two less games, he finished the 2023 season with 269 completions for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The Patriots made the right decision going with the quarterback because the opportunity to do so is rare. There were no guarantees they’d be in a position to draft a prospect like Maye ever again. Finding the right quarterback is a never-ending rat race for most teams.
There will always be opportunities to go after offensive linemen and skilled position players. The Patriots also already have a true veteran in Jacoby Brissett on the roster to serve as a bridge option for Maye. So there will be no rush to make him the starter right out of the gates.
Honestly, there should be no rush to start him next season, period. The Patriots aren’t competing for a championship, and they should take their time developing their quarterback.
Patrick Mahomes didn’t start his first season in the NFL, and even Jordan Love sat behind Aaron Rodgers before he was finally handed the reins of the Green Bay Packers’ offense. Maye has top-10 quarterback talent if the right mechanisms are in place to bring it out of him.
This is far from a Mac Jones situation as long as the Patriots avoid turning it into one.