Kelley: Drake Maye Is the Perfect Quarterback for New England

The New England Patriots officially began a new era in Foxboro when they fired Bill Belichick after the 2023 season. Eliot Wolf took over in the front office, and Jerod Mayo became the new head coach. But if the organization wanted to bring excitement back to the Patriots fanbase, changes needed to be made on the field. New England lacked a face of the franchise. It appears that issue has been resolved, courtesy of rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

New England held the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. There were options to trade back from three, but Wolf stood pat and selected Maye, passing on other top prospects like wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and offensive tackle Joe Alt. New England needed help at all three of those positions and more. But the opportunity to take a potential franchise quarterback, who was ranked first overall by Patriots Football Now, was too good to pass up.

Early returns indicate that Eliot Wolf made the right move in Round 1.

Also Read – Identifying the Core New England Patriots Players Moving Forward

There were many reasons that Drake Maye felt like a perfect fit for the New England Patriots before the 2024 NFL Draft. Those reasons have been amplified ten weeks into the 2024 season. Here are five reasons why Maye has endeared himself to Patriots fans and will continue to do so.

Likable

Drake Maye is easy to like. He was a blue-chip prospect but handled himself like an undrafted free agent trying to make the team. He seems goofy in a positive way. Maye doesn’t take himself too seriously despite taking his job very seriously. Growing up as the youngest of four brothers, with exceptional athletes in his family, likely helped prevent Maye from developing a big head or huge ego. He recently participated in a QB throwing clinic for the Patriots Foundation and looked like he had as much fun as the kids. Despite his exceptional football talents, he seems like just a regular good guy. While he’s not ready to join their company just yet, it is the same thing that endeared athletes like Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, and a young Tom Brady to Boston sports fans. Some people have that likability factor and Drake Maye is one of them.

.@DrakeMaye2 put on a CLINIC 🏈

What a night at the @PatsFoundation QB throwing clinic! pic.twitter.com/UwV2NM9Kww

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 14, 2024

Tough

One essential trait to be embraced by New England sports fans is toughness. Regardless of talent, if somebody is perceived as a wimp, the odds of winning over fans are slim to none. And it’s not just about physical toughness; it’s mental toughness, too. Mac Jones’ public perception never recovered from his screaming as he was carried to the locker room in 2022. It might not be fair, but it is reality. When he started covering up in anticipation of getting hit after that, it served as affirmation for those who believed he wasn’t tough enough to play quarterback for the Patriots.

Drake Maye has proven physically tough, at times to his detriment. He is willing to fight for extra yards instead of sliding down. And he is willing to take a hit while trying to find an open receiver. Maye argued to stay in the game when he suffered a concussion against the New York Jets. This is not a player who will be missing any time due to minor injuries. But the mental side is just as important. A bad play or turnover is not going to shatter Maye’s confidence. This is especially important early in his career. He appears willing to respond to a bad play by coming back to try and make a great play on the next possession. That mental toughness will serve him well on the field, just as his physical toughness will serve him well with the fanbase.

And when you have a bunch of older brothers (I have five myself), criticism comes with the territory and won’t shake his confidence.

Drake Maye’s brothers were asked to record a special message for him and they did this 😂😂 @DrakeMaye2 pic.twitter.com/zzxsTESlpS

— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2024

Great Teammate

Being an excellent teammate should not be overlooked when discussing the qualities of great players, especially quarterbacks. Drake Maye fits the bill here. In college, he secured NIL money for his offensive linemen. When he arrived in New England, he made no waves about his lack of opportunity in training camp or starting the season sitting behind Jacoby Brissett. When he was asked about Brissett after being named the Patriots starter for Week 6, Maye responded, “The biggest thing is you hate it for him.”

After the New England Patriots beat the Chicago Bears, his postgame comments focused on the Patriots great defensive effort. When he got inside, he asked the media to give the defense a round of applause before taking questions. Maye appears comfortable in the spotlight while being confident enough to share it. Listening to him talk about New England’s wide receivers would have one thinking that Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, and Larry Fitzgerald were on the roster in their primes. Maye was mic’d up for the Patriots game against the Bears. It produced more than seven minutes of audio, mostly of him encouraging those around him.

.@DRAKEMAYE2 MIC'D UP pic.twitter.com/pNjnhfkOhY

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 12, 2024

Exciting

Drake Maye is fun to watch. The 2023 Patriots didn’t just do poorly in the win column; they were painful to watch. As somebody who watches every game three times, I can attest that Maye has been a breath of fresh air for this franchise. Whenever NFL teams play a game on national television, a player from each team is used to help promote the game. Last season, when it was the Patriots’ turn, they used a photo of head coach Bill Belichick. In my decades of watching NFL football, that was a first. It spoke to the lack of excitement around the players, as did New England getting shut out of the Pro Bowl.

While nobody should expect Maye to make the Pro Bowl this season, the Patriots finally do have somebody to put up on the big screen to promote their team.

Maye has great enthusiasm and excellent athletic ability. He is willing to take chances, throw deep, or run if needed. Not all of these decisions result in positive plays for New England, but it is not boring. His ability to keep plays alive with his scrambling skills has been beneficial to the offense, particularly the offensive line. He is unlike any other quarterback the Patriots have ever had. Doug Flutie didn’t have his size. Cam Newton no longer had an arm. Maye is unique and worth tuning in to.

DRAKE MAYE! RHAMONDRE STEVENSON! @PATRIOTS TIE IT UP! pic.twitter.com/ThCEJxhA0b

— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024

Good

It’s great when a player is likable, tough, a great teammate, and exciting to watch. None of that matters at the end of the day if the player is not good. Drake Maye is good.

The rookie has only started five games and didn’t finish one of them, so nobody should be getting ahead of themselves just yet. But the early returns are extremely encouraging. Two criticisms I had of him from my pre-draft report still need cleaning up. He needs to do a better job setting his feet when he has the time to do so. He also must stop taking unnecessary hits and learn to slide. That said, these are areas that Maye will certainly focus on and can be improved. His arm talents, running ability, and leadership qualities are all obvious already.

To date, Maye has completed 64.7% of his passes for 954 yards, nine touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He’s rushed for 233 yards and another score. Only six rookie quarterbacks have passed for 900 yards and rushed for 200 yards in their first five NFL starts: Steve Young, Robert Griffin III, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye.

.@DrakeMaye2's first @NFL TD is to @KayshonBoutte1 🏈

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Oi7BpFvq6H

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 13, 2024

The Best is Yet to Come

Drake Maye still has a long way to go before transitioning from being the face of the franchise into a bona fide franchise quarterback. Fortunately, he appears headed in the right direction. He’s the right player at the right time for the New England Patriots. Jayden Daniels, who was second on my draft board, would also have been a great fit for New England, as he possesses many similar traits despite playing a different style of football. And there is no question that it’s easier to follow what happened in 2023 than following two decades of Tom Brady’s excellence. However, Drake Maye has what it takes to achieve great success in the NFL while being embraced by a media market that is not always patient with young players tied to great expectations.