The New England Patriots got off to a good start in their preseason, beating the Carolina Panthers 17-3. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, the number three pick in this year’s NFL Draft, played a series. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 19 yards before taking the rest of the evening off. After the game, Maye met with his Panthers counterpart, Bryce Young. Their meeting, which was posted by the NFL on X (formerly Twitter), sparked some reactions from experts and fans of both teams.
“Drake Maye (meets) Bryce Young,” the league’s account reported.
As any quarterback enters a pivotal year of their career, you can’t help but think about what’s going through their minds. Maye enters his rookie year with the Patriots, and he’s expected to be the best signal caller New England has had since Tom Brady. You know, the guy nearly every football fan considers the best quarterback, if not player, of all time. Meanwhile, Young is also under significant pressure to be the best quarterback in his franchise’s history. Cam Newton has left some pretty big holes that Young, the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, will have to fill.
Drake Maye and the Patriots enter an important first year
“The first two quarterbacks drafted in back-to-back seasons are being drafted in the worst possible situation,” noted X-user Breakfast and Ball Podcast under the NFL’s original post.
It’s true that Maye was drafted to arguably the worst team in the NFL. At least at that point, he was selected number three in April. However, the new duo at the helm, EVP Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo, have worked hard to improve the team. They focused primarily on an offense that was probably the worst in the league last season and traded former first-round pick Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Maye will grow alongside Mayo, new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and a predominantly young offensive unit. The former Tar Heel has already had to replace a legend: Sam Howell in North Carolina. The next legend to replace? Brady. No pressure.
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Bryce Young and the Panthers want to start a new chapter in their second year together
“Curious to see what Bryce will look like in year two,” X-user @BGauvin23 commented on the platform.
That’s probably the sentiment of most Panthers fans as Young enters the second offensive of his professional career – his second season, to be precise. Changes are definitely coming for Young. His new head coach is former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales. The team also has a new offensive coordinator (former Bucs wide receivers coach Brad Idzik) and GM (former team manager and player Dan Morgan).
It’s well known that Young is talented. After all, he’s a former Heisman Trophy winner with the Alabama Crimson Tide and the No. 1 pick in last year’s NFL Draft. With a new team around him, Young may become the franchise leader the Panthers have been missing since the days of “Superman.”
