Drake Maye, New England Patriots, Round 1, Pick 3
Drake Maye was drafted by the New England Patriots with the third pick of Round 1, according to Adam Schefter.
Fantasy Football Impact for Drake Maye New England Patriots
Drake Maye was a two-year starter for the North Carolina Tar Heels with a 17-9 record as a starter under Head Coach Mack Brown. He entered the draft as an early-declare and is on the younger side of this class at 21 years old (he turns 22 in August). Maye has the prototypical size teams look for in the quarterback position at 6'4" and 223 pounds. Maye broke onto the scene in 2022, throwing over 4,200 pass yards, nearly 700 rush yards, and 45 total touchdowns in North Carolina's Air Raid system. In 2023, there was a change in offensive coordinators, which brought more of a balanced game plan, and Maye put up over 3,600 pass yards, nearly 450 rush yards, and 33 total touchdowns.
There is no easy way to put this: the New England Patriots are a team in transition after moving on from their former Head Coach and General Manager of two decades, Bill Belichick. The Patriots lack starter-level talent on both sides of the ball and have one of the worst rosters in the NFL. The team hired Jerod Mayo, a former Patriots player and a defensive-minded coach, to be the next Head Coach. Because Mayo focuses on the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots went with experience at the offensive coordinator position and hired Alex Van Pelt. After playing quarterback for nine years in the league, Van Pelt has 18 years of experience working in the NFL. He's had experience coaching Aaron Rodgers, Baker Mayfield, and most recently, Joe Flacco. For the last four years, Van Pelt has been with the Cleveland Browns as offensive coordinator under head coach Kevin Stefanski, where they ran the West Coast offense, which features a run-heavy offense with lots of play-action.
As we reference in our FBG scouting report on Drake Maye, Maye is best suited to play in a shotgun, Air Raid-like offense that takes advantage of his big arm and ability to throw accurately downfield. Van Pelt will likely run a West Coast offense, so it's not an ideal fit for Maye. However, we are very high on Maye as a prospect, and if anyone can overcome this less-than-ideal fit, it's Maye. The Patriots brought in veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett this offseason, and he is the ideal guy to show Maye the ropes and help him become the best NFL quarterback he can be. Given Brissett's experience, the Patriots may let Brissett be the starter for the first quarter of the season and slowly bring Maye on, giving him the best opportunity for long-term success.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
The most significant fantasy impact of Drake Maye quarterbacking the New England Patriots is on the pass catchers. We expect the Patriots to add to their pass catcher depth later in this draft, but now that group includes Demario Douglas, Hunter Henry, K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. In Maye's second season with the Tar Heels, he connected with current Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs for 94 receptions, 1,029 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns. It's possible Douglas can fill that role for Maye in 2024 and beyond.
Although Maye isn't considered an elite rushing quarterback, he did show in college he could pick up some yards on the ground. Dane Brugler of The Athletic describes Maye as an "agile mover to evade rushers and one of the better third-down scramblers in recent years (accounted for a combined 42 first-down carries on third and fourth downs the past two seasons) … led North Carolina in rushing in 2022 and understands when to slide and when to use his toughness to finish runs." This might marginally affect running back fantasy points to some extent, but we look at this as more of a neutral to the running back. It's possible Maye could take some fantasy opportunities away from Rhamondre Stevenson and new addition Antonio Gibson. However, we feel that everyone in the Patriots offense will benefit with Maye under center over the long run.
Stock Watch
Risers
- Pass catchers the Patriots possibly select in the 2024 NFL draft
- Demario Douglas
- Hunter Henry
- K.J. Osborn
- Kendrick Bourne
Fallers
Overview
The Patriots may not be the ideal landing spot for Maye's optimal fantasy outlook, given the lack of supporting talent and less-than-ideal fit with the offensive scheme. However, we are filled with optimism about Maye's potential to learn from veteran Jacoby Brissett and, over the long term, develop into a fantasy-relevant quarterback who can significantly enhance the Patriots' offense for years to come.
For more information on the 2024 NFL Draft, check out the Footballguys Rookie Draft Guide, where you can read about Drake Maye and other rookie team fits.
