The New England Patriots committed their future to former North Carolina Tarheels superstar quarterback Drake Maye when they scooped him up s the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. This does not mean, however, that the 21-year-old will be the Pats’ starter from Day 1.
As a matter of fact, Maye isn’t expected to takeover QB1 duties for New England until the middle of the season.
New England Patriots: When Will Drake Maye Start?
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Retired NFL executive Jeff Diamond recently listed his predictions on when the big-name rookie quarterbacks are going to start for their respective teams. While the likes of Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are pretty much a lock to start from the get-go, the same cannot be said for Maye.
While the young QB has climbed the depth chart in New England, he still quite a ways to go before overtaking projected starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who rejoined the Pats this offseason.
“Maye began OTAs as the No. 3 quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe. He has quickly moved up to No. 2 after minicamp. Brissett is expected to start training camp as the starter after signing a one-year, $8 million contract,” Diamond wrote.
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Diamond notes, however, that New England is facing a tough schedule in the first six weeks of the new season, with all their opponents expected to fight for a spot in the postseason in 2024. Diamond expects a rough start for Brissett, which will ultimately lead to Maye taking over the helm mid-season:
“There’s not much pressure on a new coach in Mayo to play Maye immediately, considering the low expectations for the Patriots, who are coming off a 4-13 season and play in the tough AFC East.
Brissett gets the nod early, but after a likely 1-4 or 0-5 start, the switch is made to Maye so he can accelerate his development by getting regular-season experience,” Diamond predicted.
All in all, the former GM believes Maye will be New England’s QB1 by Week 6.
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1 Comment
The Patriots will ruin Drake if they even think about starting him before they have a top shelve left tackle to protect him! All you Patriots fans pushing for Drake to start this year when the Pats don’t even have a decent left tackle to protect him from being hurt or ruining his confidence like they did with Mac Jones will be the first to complain when it all goes wrong from what I’m talking about. The Pats need a really good left tackle before they can start Drake period!