With Drake Maye, Patriots Reboot Has New Signal Caller

FOXBORO, MA — The New England Patriots have a new head coach, new coordinators, will eventually have a new general manager and, after making the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, a new quarterback of the future.

Yes, the Patriots reboot is humming right along after the team selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the pick in the draft's first round in Detroit.

This came after the Chicago Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick and the Washington Commanders selected LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second pick.

It's not yet clear whether Maye will land the starting job with capable veteran Jacoby Brissett signed for this year, but he'll certainly set the course for the team's future.

Maye’s evaluation isn’t all that dissimilar from other strong-armed, athletic quarterbacks that have come out in recent years. He can make every throw, extend plays with his legs and dot passes down the field. However, success at the NFL level means he’ll need to cut down on reckless decisions.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said Maye’s physical gifts and intelligence at the position are reminiscent of Justin Herbert, and he considers Maye to have a similar ceiling, too.

There was some discussion about whether the Patriots would trade the third pick, with smoke around the idea that the New York Giants were in talks with the team to trade up from pick six to select Maye themselves.

There was also some smoke around a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but it's unclear if taking Maye at the third pick means they no longer have the trade asset San Francisco was after.

Patriots brass stood pat, however, taking the young signal caller.

Over the next two days, the Patriots will be tasked with finding young players to pair with Maye.

The team has the following picks remaining, as of Thursday night:

• Round 2 — 34
• Round 3 — 68
• Round 4 — 103
• Round 5 — 137
• Round 6 — 180 and 193
• Round 7 — 231