Patriots Projected to Land Competition for Drake Maye

The New England Patriots have been projected to land some quarterback competition for Drake Maye.

Aug 15, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to pass during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Drake Maye looks to be the future at quarterback for the New England Patriots. After being drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it would be shocking to see any other scenario come up.

However, the Patriots are being projected to land some competition for Maye in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Draft Network recently released a seven-round mock draft for New England. In the seventh round, they had the Patriots selecting Oregon Ducks standout quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

"Brissett is scheduled for free agency and the new regime dumped Bailey Zappe. This could prompt the Patriots to draft a long-term developmental backup quarterback on day three. Oregon's Dillon Gabriel is a plus-athlete with dual-threat abilities."

Of course, the likelihood that Gabriel would come in and threaten Maye for the job isn't very high. But, he would give New England a potentially dynamic young backup.

Gabriel has had a strong start to the 2024 college football season. He has completed 84.0 percent of his pass attempts for 914 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. On the ground, he has picked up 26 yards and two scores.

He has shown off an elite arm talent with Oregon. As can be seen from his completion percentage, he's a very accurate quarterback who can throw the deep ball well.

A quarterback duo long-term of Maye and Gabriel would be very intriguing. The Patriots would set themselves up for the foreseeable future to be good with either young signal caller.

There is also a chance that Gabriel could come into camp and really push Maye. He's not likely to start over him, but he could give the expected franchise quarterback some extra motivation.

This is ccertainly an interesting idea. With the need for a backup quarterback with Brissett likely leaving in free agency, Gabriel would make sense as a late-round target for New England.

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