Potential Patriots Target Drake Maye Officially Declares For NFL Draft

Next stop for North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye: the NFL and possibly the New England Patriots.

It was a forgone conclusion that Maye would forgo the rest of his college eligibility and enter the draft and the 21-year-old did just that Monday.

Maye announced he was taking his talents to the NFL with a post on social media, in which he thanked his coaches and North Carolina while revealing he won’t play for the Tar Heels in their upcoming bowl game against West Virginia.

“Just sitting down with my family and the people I trust the most in life, including my coaches,” Maye told ESPN. “This is the best decision for me and my future. It was my lifelong dream to play quarterback at North Carolina, and I get a chance to check off another dream and play quarterback in the NFL.”

Maye turned in a terrific redshirt sophomore season and is viewed as one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft alongside USC standout Caleb Williams. Maye completed 63.3% of his passes this season for 3,608 yards while tossing 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He compiled a 17-9 record in his career as the Tar Heels starter.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound signal-caller could trade in a Tar Heels uniform for a Patriots jersey soon enough. The Patriots, who are currently slotted to receive the No. 2 overall pick, are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback after the disastrous season Mac Jones put together.

But if the Patriots fall out of the top two — it doesn’t seem like the team will outright tank after what Christian Barmore said — they might lose out on the chance of drafting Maye.