New England Patriots Attend Drake Maye Pro Day: Future Franchise QB?

The New England Patriots are eyeing North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye as their potential face of the franchise in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Nov 25, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

To paraphrase folk rock legend James Taylor, the New England Patriots are not only “going to have Carolina in their minds,” but they are potentially scouting their future franchise quarterback, as the Pats brain trust is descending upon Chapel Hill on Thursday to evaluate and meet with top quarterback prospect Drake Maye.  

In addition to head coach Jerod Mayo, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo, director of player personnel Matt Groh and senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith, will be present for Maye’s workout. They are also expected to meet with him prior to his workout. 

Nov 25, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

The team has already sent delegations to assess LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy — both of which are linked, along with Maye, to the Patriots’ potential plans for the No. 3 overall selection in next month’s NFL Draft. 

Maye has been described by some draft analysts as an “ideal fit” within Van Pelt’s offense. The former Tar Heel completed 63 percent of his passes in 2023 for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for nine touchdowns. In his 26 total games for North Carolina, he completed 611 of 942 pass attempts (64.9 percent) for 7,929 yards with 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. In addition, he gained 1,147 rushing yards on 296 carries and found the end zone 16 times.

Perhaps best known for his elite arm strength, the 21-year-old also possesses the velocity and touch on the ball to make any throw required of him — including those into tight windows. Accordingly, he has been heralded as one of the best navigators of the entire field in this season’s Draft class. Maye is equally touted for his exceptional athleticism. When the play breaks down, he possesses the both agility and instinct to turn off-script options into big gains. 

Still, Maye still has some growing pains which will need to be addressed at the pro level. Though he is often praised for his willingness to take potentially productive risks, he has yet to master the art of temperance. As such, his daredevil-like play style can lead to costly mistakes. Maye also must develop his technique when handling pressure. Last season, Pro Football Focus credited him with a 19.6 percent pressure-to-sack rate last season, placing him on the higher side when being compared to successful pro quarterbacks. 

Unsurprisingly, Mayo made it clear when speaking with reporters at the NFL annual meetings earlier this week that New England is well-aware of Maye’s strengths and weaknesses heading into April’s draft. 

“He brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability,” Mayo said of Maye. “The exciting part is there really is no ceiling with a guy like that. But when you’re putting together a roster, you need to look at the floor as well as the ceiling. How low is the floor? I would say a guy like Drake has a lot of room to grow. He’s a young guy. Honestly, he hasn’t played football nearly as much as these other guys. So that’s definitely something we’ve looked at, but he’s definitely going to develop.”