Patriots secure QB Drake Maye with No. 3 pick in NFL draft

The new age in New England will begin with a rookie quarterback.

The Patriots, drafting for the first time since the organization parted ways with former coach Bill Belichick, selected quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday.

New England moved on from Mac Jones, also a first-round pick, after three seasons. The Pats signed veteran Jacoby Brissett to a one-year contract to compete with (and mentor) the young quarterback they drafted.

Rookie head coach Jerod Mayo, tasked with replacing Belichick, previously would not commit to taking a quarterback at third overall and told NFL Network that the team would consider trading the pick should another team provide a haul of future picks. However, multiple reports said that owner Robert Kraft and his son and team president, Jonathan, were intent on leaving the draft with a quarterback of the future.

Maye, 21, will be part of a long-term build on the offensive side of the ball for New England. Kendrick Bourne is the top receiving option and the line struggled to protect Jones, Cam Newton and Bailey Zappe – the trio of quarterbacks Belichick and the Patriots turned to following the departure of Tom Brady in 2020.

“There’s two ways to look at it – you got two different situations,” Maye said when asked about rookie quarterbacks playing or sitting on the bench and learning for a year. “There’s the team around him, and then also how the rookie plays.”

A strong-built 6-foot-4 with a powerful arm, Maye has drawn comparisons to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Maye has also offered the comparison himself.

“He’s a (big) guy like me, one of the guys,” Maye said.

Belichick, speaking on "The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular" that streamed on ESPN platforms, said the Patriots addressed one of three immediate needs (quarterback, offensive tackle, wide receiver) by selecting Maye. As for Maye's self-comparison to Allen, Belichick said:

“We’ll see about that. I think there are some similarities in size and athleticism. But Josh Allen is pretty special.”

At North Carolina, Maye was a two-year starter for head coach Mack Brown. He redshirted during his freshman season in 2021 and appeared in four games behind former Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell – a close friend of Maye's who was traded from the Commanders to Seattle Seahawks this offseason. In 2022, Maye's first year as the starter, he led the Tar Heels to the ACC Championship Game and threw for 4,321 yards with a 38:7 touchdown-interception ratio. He was the ACC Player of the Year, the conference's Offensive Player of the Year, the Rookie of the Year and the Offensive Rookie of the Year – only Jameis Winston has also won all four awards in the same season. Maye led North Carolina in rushing that year (3.8 yards per carry, seven rushing touchdowns).

The Tar Heels lost a significant amount of talent heading into the next season. Maye’s statistics regressed in most major categories, but he was named to the second-team All-ACC and started 12 games (nine rushing touchdowns).

Maye is from an athletic family. Mark Maye, his father, was a quarterback at North Carolina in the 1980s. His older brother, Luke, was part of the North Carolina men's basketball 2017 national championship team. His brother, Cole, was a national champion in baseball at Florida the same year and his other brother, Beau, is currently on the Tar Heels' men's basketball team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drake Maye is Patriots' QB pick in 2024 NFL draft