The Future is Now: New England Patriots Draft QB Drake Maye

The New England Patriots are hoping they have found the future of the franchise.

The 2024 NFL Draft has gotten underway, with the 1st round already in the books. With the 3rd selection in the 1st round, the Patriots selected Drake Maye, a quarterback who played his college football at the University of North Carolina.

Maye put up video game-like numbers over the last two seasons in Chapel Hill, including throwing for nearly 8,000 yards, with a combined 62 touchdowns. Those are quite the numbers to put up in just two years of starting. In fact, they were some of the best stats for any quarterback during that time.

It was no shock to see the Patriots go quarterback in the 1st Round. The team had moved on from Mac Jones, following another year of mediocre play. New England did bring back Jacoby Brissett, but odds were certainly behind the Pats looking to draft a potential franchise signal caller.

Maye now joins a team with a brand-new coaching staff at Gillette for the first time in this millennium. Former standout linebacker Jarod Mayo took over for the legendary Bill Belichick, who was let go after the 2023 season.

It will be interesting to see what the plan will be for Maye when training camps kick off. While he is expected to be the quarterback for the foreseeable future, the Patriots do have some support with Brisset on the roster. The veteran kicked off his career with the Patriots, even starting in a few games when Tom Brady was suspended do to something called Deflategate. Following that, Brisset made 46 starts over the course of his career, with the majority coming with the Indianapolis Colts.

But let's be honest, the fan expectation will certainly be for Maye to be the starting quarterback when the 2024 season kicks off. If he's not, then you know the questions will already start. Let's hope we don't have to deal with that.

This is just the first new piece for the Patriots, who have quite a few more picks to go for the remainder of the draft. It's always exciting to see who will be drafted next.