Instant analysis of Patriots' first round draft pick UNC QB Drake Maye

The New England Patriots selected UNC Quarterback Drake Maye with the 3rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Quick blurb.

A to Z Sports' draft analyst James Foster ranks NAME as his 1st best overall prospect and 1st quarterback.

Player Scouting Report from A to Z Sports Film Room's James Foster

Strengths: (Copied from James Foster's Big Board)

• Prototypical size and arm talent
• Speed & quickness to be an effective runner in the NFL 
• Comfortable hanging in the pocket & working through progressions
• Can break the pocket and make plays out of structure
• Recognizes post-snap safety rotations 
• Makes difficult off-platform throws from different release points
• Aggressive attacking tight windows over the middle
• Has shown flashes of elite ball placement

Weaknesses: (Copied from James Foster's Big Board)

• Extended windup & average release speed
• Finished 2023 with his 2 worst games of the season (Clemson/NC State) 
• Throws late on backside cornerbacks 
• Over-estimates arm talent and forces the ball into closing windows
• Makes some dangerous throws when he doesn't see underneath defenders 
• Average blitz recognition
• Ranks last in this QB class with a 66.1% on-target rate
• Sails easy passes, puts slants behind his WR, overshoots go routes, & leaders WRs out of bounds
• Inconsistent lower-half mechanics results in erratic ball placement 
• Unnecessarily drifts away from throws 

My Opinion and Analysis

This was the move that everyone hoped that New England Patriots would make. 

New England needed a quarterback and they got one. While they gave fans a bit of a scare by saying they were open to potentially trading away the pick, they ended up keeping it. 

Last season, Maye went 269-of-425 for 3,608 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season, along with rushing 92 times for 582 yards with nine rushing touchdowns.

He will be joining a quarterback room with Jacoby Brissett, who provides a veteran leadership presence, while also having Bailey Zappe who knows the Patriot Way. And of course, there is also Nathan Rourke.