Patriots select quarterback Drake Maye with No. 3 pick in NFL draft
The New England Patriots have drafted a quarterback in the first round for the second time in four years, as they selected Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.Maye, 21, was a two-year starter at the University of North Carolina. He was the Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a redshirt freshman in 2022. Last season, he was a Second Team All-ACC player.”This is a kid who can make all the throws. He just needs to be more consistent,” said former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who is part of ESPN’s first-round draft coverage on The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular.The Patriots’ selection of Maye comes just a month after they traded quarterback Mac Jones, their first-round pick in 2021.Jones was drafted with the 15th overall pick three years ago and played well as a rookie, as the Pats reached the playoffs after missing the postseason the year before.But under different offensive play callers in each of the past two seasons, Jones regressed and finished the 2023 season as New England’s third-string quarterback. The Patriots wound up trading Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for the 193rd overall pick in the sixth round of this year’s draft.New Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney will be tasked with developing Maye.New England currently has three quarterbacks on its roster: eight-year NFL veteran Jacoby Brissett, 2022 fourth-round draft pick Bailey Zappe and former Canadian Football League player Nathan Rourke.Maye becomes just the fifth quarterback drafted by the Patriots in the first round since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The others are Jim Plunkett (No. 1 overall in 1971), Tony Eason (No. 15 in 1983), Drew Bledsoe (No. 1 in 1993) and Jones. Related content:
The New England Patriots have drafted a quarterback in the first round for the second time in four years, as they selected Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Maye, 21, was a two-year starter at the University of North Carolina. He was the Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a redshirt freshman in 2022. Last season, he was a Second Team All-ACC player.
“This is a kid who can make all the throws. He just needs to be more consistent,” said former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who is part of ESPN’s first-round draft coverage on The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular.
The Patriots’ selection of Maye comes just a month after they traded quarterback Mac Jones, their first-round pick in 2021.
Jones was drafted with the 15th overall pick three years ago and played well as a rookie, as the Pats reached the playoffs after missing the postseason the year before.
But under different offensive play callers in each of the past two seasons, Jones regressed and finished the 2023 season as New England’s third-string quarterback. The Patriots wound up trading Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for the 193rd overall pick in the sixth round of this year’s draft.
New Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney will be tasked with developing Maye.
New England currently has three quarterbacks on its roster: eight-year NFL veteran Jacoby Brissett, 2022 fourth-round draft pick Bailey Zappe and former Canadian Football League player Nathan Rourke.
Maye becomes just the fifth quarterback drafted by the Patriots in the first round since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The others are Jim Plunkett (No. 1 overall in 1971), Tony Eason (No. 15 in 1983), Drew Bledsoe (No. 1 in 1993) and Jones.
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