There’s a lot of excitement in New England about Drake Maye, who the Patriots selected third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Maye has the skill set and make-up to be a legitimate franchise quarterback for years to come. The Patriots obviously believe as much, which is part of the reason why they reportedly turned down multiple robust trade offers for their highest draft pick in over three decades.
The Patriots and their fans surely are both eager for the Maye era to get underway in Foxboro, Mass. But for the sake of the 21-year-old and the future of the franchise, Brian Hoyer believes New England should practice patience with Maye.
“Drake Maye, I don’t think there’s any necessary reason to start him from Day 1,” the former Patriots quarterback said on MassLive’s “Eyes on Foxborough” podcast. “I think you have a great veteran quarterback in Jacoby (Brissett), who can win games in the NFL. He’s proven that time and time again. To be honest with you, it’s not as good of a situation as a few of those other teams.”
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Hoyer added: “I think you let him develop. You let him come in, learn from Jacoby, get coached really well, improve his footwork, improve his ability to read the defense — those types of things. You don’t rush him into it. That’s probably the best scenario for him.”
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It certainly doesn’t sound like the Patriots plan on throwing Maye right into the fire. Head coach Jerod Mayo on draft night wasn’t willing to commit to the North Carolina product as the team’s new starting quarterback, which wasn’t a surprise considering Maye’s room for growth.
New England was burned in the Mac Jones era, which saw the organization start the 2021 first-rounder from the jump and fail to properly support him. Mayo and company should learn from all of those mistakes and chart a new path with Maye.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
