National Football League

Why Patriots QB Drake Maye couldn't be more different than Mac Jones

Updated Apr. 25, 2024 10:24 p.m. ET

Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

Drake Maye couldn’t be a more different prospect than Mac Jones.

The New England Patriots are starting anew.

At coach.

At GM.

At quarterback.

Patriots new coach Jerod Mayo played for Bill Belichick. Executive Eliot Wolf worked three years in New England under Belichick. There are absolutely new elements to this regime. But it’s extremely familiar.

Belichick took Jones — a player in the model of Tom Brady, a pocket passer.

You may remember Jones' draft profile. He won a lot at Alabama and enjoyed the support of a stellar cast of receivers. He had high processing power but a mediocre arm with sound mechanics. He wasn’t mobile, but he was disciplined in the pocket. Finally, he had a high floor — and was ready for the NFL — but Jones didn’t seem destined to be the NFL’s best quarterback.

Jones briefly showed shades of early Brady. But Brady is in the past in so many ways. Of course, Brady’s era in New England is long over. Beyond that, his style of pocket-passing play is dwindling.

That seems to be what drew the Patriots to Maye. As a prospect, he is the opposite of Jones. Maye fits the mold of where the QB position is headed.

Maye went to UNC, where his supporting cast was lacking. They didn’t win a lot of meaningful games. He doesn’t seem to see defenses clearly, but he makes up for it with a rocket arm — albeit with a hitch in his throwing mechanics. His mobility helped him in a big way, too. He had moments where his discipline lapsed. But he’s young. So he might not look ready for the NFL right now, but with the right amount of development, he has the physical tools to enter the conversation as one of the NFL's best quarterbacks.

Drake Maye on the draft process and starting Week 1

With Jones, the Patriots sought safety and security.

With Maye, the Patriots want for fire and brimstone.

It's only natural, right? After the Patriots tried picking someone safe and the experiment still somehow exploded, they might as well try the opposite. They might as well get bold.

It didn’t seem like Belichick was wholly impressed with Maye’s film.

"A very talented kid. Good size. Runs well. Has a good arm," Belichick said on The Pat McAfee Show. "He hasn’t played very much. He doesn’t have a lot of experience. … He's going to need some work reading defenses, reading coverages. … This is a kid that can make all the throws. He just needs to be more consistent."

It makes sense that Belichick saw major holes in Maye’s game. It’s possible Belichick wouldn’t have taken the guy if he were still the GM. But he’s not anymore.

Wolf is in charge, and he — with help of Mayo — landed on Maye. Wolf said it was "obvious" weeks ago that they were going to take Maye. They listened to trade offers from around the NFL, but they said Thursday that they were eying Maye. They admired what he did at UNC.

"Not to take anything away from anyone else in the [Tar Heels] program, but the game was on his shoulders," Wolf said after picking Maye. "He really was able to to elevate [the receivers and running backs] and make them into what they could be."

The comparisons between Maye and Josh Allen might be overblown. (Belichick certainly seemed to think as much. "Drake compares himself a lot to Josh Allen. We'll see about that," Belichick said.) But the Patriots were and are definitely tired of watching Allen beat them. It would make sense New England wants an Allen of their own.

But let’s make sure to acknowledge the risk involved here. Maye might be just as likely to be the next Trey Lance or Zach Wilson. Lance was the next Allen or Patrick Mahomes. But he was inexperienced with an inordinate amount of upside. It was a similar story with Wilson.

Maye had a terrific sophomore year, putting himself on the map for NFL scouts. That year, he completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also led the team with 698 rushing yards with seven touchdowns. It was an absolutely monstrous year. But then last year, basically every stat declined: a 63.3 completion percentage, 3,608 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, 449 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

It wasn’t a year when he showed much evolution. In fact, you might even argue his 2022 problems were more glaring in 2023.

So the Patriots are placing a major burden on offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney and even veteran Jacoby Brissett. That group will take on Maye’s flaws and strengths. And as different as Maye will be to develop from Jones, the Patriots will have to fix many of the issues that sunk their previous QB’s career in New England.

The Patriots are going to need to get weapons that highlight his strengths and offensive linemen that can keep him upright. And then Maye can do what Wolf said he did at UNC — he can elevate his supporting cast. Maybe if he becomes as good as Allen, he can support his supporting cast.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.