PFF Makes Eye-Catching Claim About Patriots Drafting Drake Maye

Did the New England Patriots get it right in this year's draft?

Jun 10, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws a pass at minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots elected to turn to a fresh page this offseason through their selection of UNC QB Drake Maye with their third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. After a couple of years of suffering through quarterback mishaps and inconsistency, the front office opted to iron out their issues under center by bringing in a welcomed fresh face to lead the charge.

It still wasn't the most cut-and-dry decision to make by bringing a new signal caller into the mix. New England had a few alternative options on the table if they weren't 100% confident in Drake Maye being the guy, whether that be rolling the dice again with Mac Jones, trading the third pick, or even pivoting to select a different quarterback entirely.

Though, through a hectic draft process, the Patriots ultimately landed on Maye being the guy for the job, and it was probably the best decision to be made all things considered.

In fact, when diving into each NFL team's brightest decision of the offseason, Pro Football Focus dubs the selection of the UNC QB as New England's best of the entire spring and summer.

PFF's Trevor Sikkema noted that while a significant trade package could've potentially been in play to bring in some substantial pieces for the Patriots' rebuild, taking Maye at pick three was the better course of action:

"The Patriots likely had a king’s ransom of trade packages to choose from to move down from the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They did the right thing by standing pat with their selection, however, and taking their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. Yes, the roster isn’t good enough around the rookie to truly compete, but if a quarterback-needy team believes a prospect can be a franchise quarterback, you draft them — end of story."

- Trevor Sikkema, PFF

Chatter involving a potential trade down of the Patriots' third-overall pick ramped up on draft night as teams such as the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants generated interest in Maye as their next franchise signal caller. Even with the opposing intrigue, New England had liked what they saw from the 21-year-old and pinned him as their choice.

Sure, the Patriots possibly could have shipped off their top-three selection in favor of building out some other holes presented on the roster, such as some offensive lineman or a receiving talent, but it doesn't change that the quarterback position needed to be addressed at some point down the line.

As the Patriots climb back up the mountain to become a competitive team, you have to have the ability to stack up against other elite quarterbacks around the NFL. As Sikkema noted, New England isn't in a position to get back to that level right away, but the choice of Maye effectively brings a much-needed foundational block into the building to eventually return to that prestige.

Substantial wins may not be rolling in until Maye starts to fill out into his ceiling and develop a bit further, but when that time comes, it'll become even more clear that the Patriots made the correct call in April.

Fans will get their next look at the Patriots' franchise signal caller when New England hits the practice field for training camp, officially kicking off later this month on July 24th.

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