Ex-NFL QB Gives Glowing Endorsement Of Potential Patriots Draft Pick

With the NFL draft just over a month away, there’s a growing consensus that after Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels is the next-best quarterback prospect over Drake Maye.

Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck certainly does it see it that way, though.

“(I’ve) been at ESPN for 15 years evaluating quarterbacks as they come out for the draft,” Hasselbeck told WEEI’s “Gresh and Fauria” show Thursday, as transcribed by Mike Kadlick. “I think (Maye’s) as good of a prospect as I have evaluated in this entire time. So, you know, from the Matthew Stafford’s to the Matt Ryan, to you name ’em over that stretch — Andrew Luck … I think that he’s that good of a prospect.”

That’s some glowing praise from Hasselbeck.

It’s not hard to see why he thinks that way. Maye has tremendous upside with an NFL-ready body at 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds to go along with outstanding arm strength. He feels like a Josh Allen prototype.

But the intricate parts of Maye’s game, like his footwork, have been picked apart, causing a slight hit to his draft stock.

That could make him available to the Patriots at No. 3 overall if Williams and Daniels go off the board before him. And Hasselbeck sure is convinced that it wouldn’t just be a home run pick for the Patriots, but a grand slam.

“I think when people go through the process with Drake Maye, there is almost nothing to not like about him,” Hasselbeck said. “Now he’s a really big guy, so if you’ve got really picky could you say, ‘Hey I’d like his delivery to be a little more compact.’ Yeah, absolutely you could say that. … I think that when I look at him I think he’s going to be a better pro than college player, I think athletically, physically, mentally — like athletically he’s going to be on par with the best.

“And then I think mentally you’re going to be able to put so much on him to be able to control the game the way that great quarterbacks are able to control the game. Like I think he can digest that. So those are the reasons why I think he’s the best prospect in this group and as good as anybody I’ve seen over the last 15 years.”