The new era in New England will begin with a rookie quarterback.
The Patriots, who drafted a player for the first time since parting ways with former coach Bill Belichick, selected quarterback Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday.
New England parted ways with Mac Jones, also a first-round pick, after three seasons. The Pats signed veteran Jacoby Brissett to a one-year deal to compete with (and mentor) the young quarterback they drafted.
Rookie head coach Jerod Mayo, who is set to replace Belichick, had previously not committed to taking a quarterback as the third overall pick and told NFL Network that the team would consider trading the pick if another team had a slew of future picks. However, multiple reports said owner Robert Kraft and his son and team president Jonathan were determined to finish the draft with a quarterback of the future.
Maye, 21, will be part of a long-term build on the offensive side of the ball for New England. Kendrick Bourne is the best pass-receiving option and the line has struggled to protect Jones, Cam Newton and Bailey Zappe – the trio of quarterbacks Belichick and the Patriots turned to after Tom Brady left in 2020.
“There are two ways of looking at it – there are two different situations,” Maye said when asked about rookie quarterbacks playing or sitting on the bench for a year and learning. “There’s the team around him and then also how the rookie plays.”
Maye is a powerfully built 6’4″ player with a strong arm. He has been compared to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Maye himself has made the comparison.
“He’s a (big) guy like me, one of the guys,” Maye said.
Belichick said on The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular, which streamed on ESPN platforms, that the Patriots filled one of three immediate needs (quarterback, offensive tackle, wide receiver) by selecting Maye. Regarding Maye’s comparison to Allen, Belichick said:
“We’ll see. I think there are some similarities in size and athleticism. But Josh Allen is very special.”
At North Carolina, Maye was a two-year starter for head coach Mack Brown. He was undrafted during his 2021 freshman season, appearing in four games behind former Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell – a close friend of Maye’s who was traded from the Commanders to the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. In 2022, Maye’s first year as a starter, he led the Tar Heels to the ACC Championship Game, throwing for 4,321 yards with a 38:7 touchdown-interception ratio. He was the ACC Player of the Year, the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, the Rookie of the Year and the Offensive Rookie of the Year – only Jameis Winston has also won all four awards in the same season. Maye led North Carolina in rushing that year (3.8 yards per carry, seven rushing touchdowns).
The Tar Heels lost a lot of talent the next season. Mayes’ stats declined in most major categories, but he was named to the All-ACC second team and started 12 games (nine rushing touchdowns).
Maye comes from an athletic family. Mark Maye, his father, was a quarterback at North Carolina in the 1980s. His older brother Luke was part of the 2017 North Carolina men’s national championship-winning basketball team. His brother Cole was a national champion baseball player at Florida that same year, and his other brother Beau is currently on the Tar Heels men’s basketball team.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drake Maye is the Patriots’ quarterback pick in the 2024 NFL Draft
