Patriots Reportedly Out on One Top-3 QB Prospect
For any Patriots fans hoping to see Drake Maye under center next season, don't hold your breath. The latest reports suggest that New England is cold on the UNC quarterback.
New England Patriots fans can't wait to continue the start of their new era. Morale is high across the fanbase as the Patriots hold the third overall selection at the 2024 NFL Draft, allowing them to target their quarterback of the future now that the Mac Jones experiment can be considered a bust.
This year's top three QB prospects are USC's Caleb Williams, UNC's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels. The Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, who both draft ahead of the Patriots, are also looking for a franchise gunslinger, meaning New England will likely be left with the last of the trio left standing.
Having said that, it looks like the Patriots won't be thrilled if the only Maye remains at No. 3.
Patriots Rumors: New England Out on UNC QB Drake Maye
Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline reports that several Patriots scouts "are not fans of Maye." This doesn't mean that head coach Jerod Mayo and his staff aren't fans of the 21-year-old, however, it's pretty telling that multiple members of the organization are against taking him third overall.
Post Combine News & Notes:
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) March 7, 2024
* Teams running hot and cold on Drake Maye
* Two players who did not participate at the Combine getting lots of chatter
* Talk of moving the Combine out of Indy surfacing againhttps://t.co/7kEWy10rM2
While Maye was solid for the most part in 2023, lackluster play down the stretch is allegedly why the New England scouts aren't his biggest fans. On top of losing four of his final six starts, Maye only completed 57.9% of his passes across his last three games for 805 yards with four touchdowns to just as many interceptions. He also opted out of the May Bowl, meaning he never got a chance to redeem his struggles.
Maye finishes his college career with 618 completions, 8,018 passing yards, and 63 TDs to 16 INTs. He also turned 302 carries into 1,209 yards and another 16 touchdowns, showing that he does deserve a fair amount of the hype he gets.
Nevertheless, with Williams likely being drafted first overall, all signs point to the Patriots hoping that Daniels falls to them at No. 3. If the LSU signal-caller doesn't fall, New England could always trade its top pick for a massive haul before targeting a QB later on, such as Washington's Michael Penix Jr. or Oregon's Bo Nix.
The 2024 NFL Draft is in less than two months, so Patriots fans don't have to wait much longer to find out if Maye is (or isn't) joining the QB room. The good news is that, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Daniels is most likely to be the third overall selection at +130 odds as of March 7.
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