After they suffered through their worst season in about three decades, the New England Patriots have a bit of hope for the future heading into the 2024 campaign.
They took University of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in last month’s draft, and he seems to have a legitimate shot at being their next true franchise signal-caller.
As teams hold offseason workouts these days, they’re getting their first glimpse of what their rookies are capable of, and per NBC Sports Boston, Albert Breer said Maye is showing progress day by day and has also displayed “elite downfield accuracy.”
"I've heard it's going great… day over day they're seeing really good progress"@AlbertBreer shares what he's hearing about the development of Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/SrHAj1b5YW
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) May 30, 2024
In his last two seasons with the Tar Heels, Maye threw for a combined 7,929 yards and 62 touchdowns while adding 16 more touchdowns on the ground in 26 games.
At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he appears to have good size for the QB position at the next level.
The Patriots will need Maye to be every bit as great as he can be right away, because they have a lack of viable players, especially on offense.
Their most productive wide receiver in 2023 was Demario Douglas, who had 49 catches for 561 yards, and they also lost Ezekiel Elliott, their leading rusher, as he returned to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason.
It’s going to take a while for New England to become even a playoff team again, but in Maye, they may have the franchise QB they thought they were getting with Mac Jones a couple of years ago.
Jones never really developed, but now they will get a chance to develop Maye just four years after the departure of the legendary Tom Brady.
