5 Patriots Whose Stock is Rising After OTAs

3. Drake Maye, QB

After declaring the Mac Jones experiment a bust, the Patriots used this year's No. 3 pick to draft Drake Maye as the franchise's quarterback of the future. But as talented as Maye appears to be, there was always a possibility that he could ride the bench for his rookie season in hopes that he'll be more NFL-ready in 2025.

It seemed like that theory was an even bigger possibility after the team inked veteran QB and ex-Pat Jacoby Brissett to a one-year contract in March.

Fast forward to the beginning of June, though, and it looks like Maye might challenge Brissett for the starting job after all. The former UNC signal-caller has received nothing but praise throughout OTAs as he builds chemistry with his pass-catchers to the paint where he's completing no-look passes with ease.

Has Maye been flawless? No, but no rookie ever is. The 21-year-old still has plenty of room for improvement, however, the important thing is that he's already worked on some of his weaker areas (including footwork) and has been learning from Brissett throughout the process.

I'm not saying that Maye will be under center when the Patriots face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, but he might not be as far away from becoming the starter as others think. If he stays the course and keeps improving on his shortcomings, I wouldn't be shocked if Maye usurps Brissett by the season's midway point.