North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye’s most common pro comparison has become Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. Jacob Kupferman/Associated Press
The New England Patriots hit rock bottom.
The good news? They’re already positioning themselves for a rebound.
Under new coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots have overhauled a coaching staff that oversaw one of the league’s worst offenses last season. Their front office is now led by longtime outsider turned director of scouting Eliot Wolf, a former executive in Green Bay and assistant GM for the Browns. The Patriots are projected to hold the third-most cap space in the league heading into free agency, and are currently armed with significant draft capital, starting with the No. 3 overall pick.
However the Patriots proceed, the stakes are significant.
The franchise hasn’t won a playoff game in five years, and owner Robert Kraft said he hopes their first-round pick positions the team “beautifully” for years to come.
The old saying goes a team with two quarterbacks has none.
But what if that team starts with none?
Last season, Mac Jones lost his way, and Bailey Zappe proved to be no better than a backup. The Patriots chewed up and spit out a half-dozen third quarterbacks during the year. It’s time for an overhaul.
The Patriots must find their quarterback of the future in this upcoming draft and sign a veteran to support the group as a mentor, culture driver and, potentially, a bridge starter. The icy dynamic between Jones and Zappe quietly hurt both players last year, when neither threw his full support behind the other as a starter. That, in turn, hurts the team.
On to 2024.
As for the draft, you know the names by now. One of USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels will be available at No. 3 overall. Based on current projections, and Williams’ season-long status as the top-ranked prospect in this class, the Pats are expected to choose between Maye or Daniels.
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Maye’s most common pro comparison has become Justin Herbert. He boasts plus mobility and elite arm talent, both in terms of raw strength and off-platform ability. Thanks to a decline in surrounding talent, Maye’s numbers came down last season from a 2022 campaign when he threw for 4,293 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Daniels is an exceptionally accurate dual-threat prospect with questions about his frame at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. He protects the ball well and threw the most dangerous deep ball in college football last year. Daniels is coming off a historically great season highlighted by a 72.2% completion percentage, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions.
If Eliot Wolf’s front office believes both are capable franchise quarterbacks who can lead the Patriots back to the Super Bowl, elevate teammates and consistently rank in the top 10 at their position, pull the trigger on the leftover passer. No amount of picks or players acquired in a trade down could match the value of adding a legitimate starting quarterback. The Pats can patch most of their offensive roster holes in free agency and later in the draft.
The quarterback means everything. It was no accident Jones’ downfall coincided with the Patriots’ undoing. The power of the quarterback is second to none.
The time to strike is now. The Patriots have no internal options. Down the road, the 2025 draft class reputedly has a weak quarterback crop.
If not Maye or Daniels, pick Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. If not Penix, bat around developing Oregon starter Bo Nix. Nix is a raw prospect with plus athleticism and lesser accuracy than Penix, another multi-year starter and 23-year-old college player. Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Tulane’s Michael Pratt are other early-round names to know.
Whoever the Patriots draft come April, they should already have signed a veteran backup in free agency. Jacoby Brissett is the obvious choice, a known locker-room leader and fringe starter who played under new Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in Cleveland. Brissett is well-regarded in the Patriots locker room.
“I have a lot of respect for Jacoby as a player and as a man. Wherever he goes and whatever’s asked of him and whatever responsibility he’s had with the team, he puts his best foot forward,” Pats outside linebacker Matt Judon said in 2022. “And that doesn’t matter whether he was here or in Indy or with Miami, every time he gets in the game he produces, like he is right now.”
Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins projects as a long-shot signing, but would instantly upgrade the entire offense and represent the team’s best quarterback since Tom Brady left. Reports indicate Baker Mayfield is headed back to Tampa Bay, and Ryan Tannehill will head to Pittsburgh, where he would reunite with former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota, Joe Flacco and Gardner Minshew are among the other free agents available with starting experience.
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