FOXBOROUGH – There will be some who will love the Patriots selecting Drake Maye with the third overall pick. There will be others who will hate the choice of the North Carolina quarterback.
Trying to get it right when picking a quarterback is like playing Russian roulette. For any NFL team drafting a quarterback, it’s a dangerous game of chance.
But the best takeaway from the Patriots sticking with Maye, who was available after Chicago took USC’s Caleb Williams and Washington selected LSU’s Jayden Daniels, was the fact they didn’t trade the pick, move down the board, and go with a safer choice.
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They swung for the fence. The new regime, with Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo leading the charge – with Robert and Jonathan Kraft’s blessing, of course – went for the potential home run pick.
Hallelujah!
That’s not to say that Maye won’t turn out to be a big-time bust, like many other quarterbacks taken third overall. He could easily be the next one on the list, joining such disappointing No. 3 selections as Sam Darnold, Trey Lance, Akili Smith and Joey Harrington.
But here’s the point: On Thursday night, sitting on the clock with the No. 3 overall pick, the Patriots gave themselves the best chance to turn their fate around.
They went with a quarterback who has the ability to be something special, not merely something good.
While it’s a guessing game, the Patriots went with the quarterback with the best traits, and the highest ceiling of the remaining quarterbacks.
They resisted the temptation to move down the board to get Michael Penix (8th overall to Atlanta), J.J. McCarthy (10th to Minnesota) or Bo Nix (12th to Denver), who are all older, more experienced, and a bit more predictable, which is another way of saying safe.
Instead, they took a chance on a boom/bust candidate. They rolled the dice with a quarterback who has plenty of things to fix and work on – footwork, reading defenses, decision-making. By the same token, they went with a quarterback who could develop into a superstar.
Maye’s size (6-foot-4, 233 pounds), athleticism, and ability to throw the football give him a chance for greatness, which is something the Patriots could sure use four years after Tom Brady’s departure.
Both de facto GM Wolf and coach Mayo pointed out several traits that drew them to Maye, and convinced them he was the right quarterback to bring to Foxborough.
Wolf talked about Maye’s ability to “elevate” those around him. Mac Jones, the Patriots previous first-round quarterback selection, couldn’t do that. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are among those currently in the league who can, and have enjoyed success with their respective teams.
Mayo, meanwhile, singled out Maye’s toughness. That’s one of the traits that drew him to the former North Carolina star.
“The thing that most impressed me about him,” Mayo said, “he would get smacked, and get right back up.”
Mayo then drew a comparison to a quarterback who is two months shy of being inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in a first-ever ceremony inside Gillette Stadium.
“That’s the same trait … you have a guy like Tom Brady, I’m not saying he’s Tom, but just that mentality,” Mayo said, referring to one of Brady’s finest qualities. “Same thing with Joe Burrow. Those guys just keep getting back up and continuing to play at a high level.
“That was like the ‘A-ha’ moment for me.”
Listening to Maye, he has something else in common with the GOAT. Brady couldn’t stand losing, which drew out the best in him.
“I love football, and I love winning. I think the biggest thing is that I hate losing,” Maye told the media during a video call Thursday night, shortly after being selected. “I hate losing in anything I do; it doesn’t matter what it is.”
That type of competitiveness fueled Brady for 20-plus seasons, leading him to seven championships, six with the Patriots.
Again, no one is putting Maye on par with Brady at that age, or any age. It’s just interesting to note the traits they share, ones that are easily recognizable to someone like Mayo who played with Brady.
Maye is just 21. He’s not as experienced as some of the other quarterbacks who were drafted in the first round, be it Williams, Daniels, Penix or Nix.
But he can make your jaw drop with his ability.
It’s just up to the Patriots to help him realize his potential, which means taking their time and not starting him right away if he’s not ready. It’s up to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, offensive assistant Ben McAdoo, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, and Mayo to develop Maye into a star, and avoid all the traps they fell into with Jones.
“You can go out there and talk about potential all you want. Until you reach it, it really doesn’t matter,” Mayo said. “But we do know the man. We know the man is a hard worker, and he’ll do everything thing he can to be successful.”
Asked what Patriots fans should expect from him, Maye also hit it out of the park.
“(I’m) a competitor and a winner. I think those are the main things that come to mind,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m racing you out the door, or if we’re on the field competing. I think competing to win: that’s what Patriots Nation is about. That’s what they know how to do, and I’m ready to come in and do that.”
