«He’s a player that elevates those around him and that’s really all you can ask for at the quarterback position.»
Just minutes after the Patriots selected UNC QB Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jerod Mayo and de-facto GM Eliot Wolf discussed their new quarterback’s potential and what the next steps are for a roster in need of more weapons.
Here are four takeaways from their press conference:Initial scouting reports for Maye
As expected, both Wolf and Mayo’s scouting report on Maye focused on their QB’s arm strength, pro-ready frame (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) and high ceiling.
“He’s a player that elevates those around him and that’s really all you can ask for at the quarterback position,” Wolf said. “Obviously he’s got a lot of talent. He’s athletic, he’s big and strong. He’s young. I feel like there’s a lot of upside to his game.”
Maye put together an impressive resume during his career at UNC — throwing for 63 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 8,018 passing yards, and a 64.9% completion percentage over 30 games (26 starts) with the Tar Heels.
But beyond Maye’s arm strength and lofty stats, Mayo was impressed with his new QB’s ability to fight through adversity — both mentally and physically.
“One thing about Drake, and we kind of talked about it this past year, [UNC] also had some holes on offense, and the thing that most impressed me about him, he would get smashed and just get right back up,” Mayo said. “That’s the same trait — you had a guy like Tom Brady — not saying that he’s Tom, but just that mentality.
“Same thing with Joe Burrow. Those guys just keep getting back up and continuing to play at a high level, and that was like the a-ha moment for me.”An easy consensus
New England’s decision to select Maye ends months of speculation as to who the Patriots were going to take with their No. 3 pick. New England was linked to several other QBs in this draft class — including LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
Mayo stressed on Thursday that the Patriots were comfortable with taking any of the top-three quarterbacks in this class: Maye, Daniels (who went to Washington at No. 2), or Caleb Williams, who was taken first overall by the Chicago Bears.
“Honestly, the more exposure we had with Drake, the more comfortable we felt,” Mayo said.
