Patriots Select Drake Maye With 3rd Pick in NFL Draft

Patriots Select Drake Maye With 3rd Pick in NFL Draft

The New England Patriots selected quarterback Drake Maye from the University of North Carolina with the third overall pick.

 

Physical Tools

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Maye has the ideal size and athleticism for an NFL quarterback. At 6'4" 223 lbs, he has a prototypical frame with good height. Maye also has above-average mobility, with the speed to threaten defenses as a scrambler and on designed runs.

 

Maye's best trait is his arm talent. He has a cannon for an arm, able to rip throws with velocity outside the numbers and down the field. He can also vary his touch, layering passes over defenders and into tight windows. Maye's arm strength allows him to make every throw in the NFL playbook.

 

Processing and Decision Making

While Maye's physical tools are elite, his processing and decision-making are still a work in progress. He excels at playing within structure, progressing through his reads and finding checkdowns. However, Maye can struggle when the picture changes post-snap, failing to adjust to late safety rotations.

 

Maye also tends to make bad plays worse, taking unnecessary sacks or forcing throws when he should just live to fight another down. He needs to learn when to cut his losses and move on. Cleaning up his decision-making will be key to his NFL success.

 

Potential and Fit

Despite the room for improvement, Maye has all the tools to develop into a star NFL quarterback. His arm talent, athleticism, and prototypical size are unmatched in this class. With the right coaching and supporting cast, Maye has the upside to be a perennial Pro Bowler.

 

Maye's skill set allows him to fit in any offensive system. His arm strength and mobility make him a fit for vertical passing games and RPO-heavy offenses. His processing ability also allows him to thrive in timing-based West Coast systems.

 

Ultimately, Maye is a high-risk, high-reward prospect. If he can clean up his decision-making and processing, he will have the tools to be a franchise quarterback. But if those issues persist, he could struggle to live up to his draft position. Teams will have to weigh that risk/reward ratio when deciding where to select him.

 

The analysis provided by Perplexity