The New England Patriots are widely viewed as a sleeper team heading into the 2025 NFL season, and a big reason for that is quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye put together an impressive rookie campaign last year, throwing for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 66.6 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 421 yards and a couple of scores, averaging 7.8 yards per carry.
The Patriots have gone out of their way to supply the former No. 3 overall pick with adequate supporting talent this offseason, adding numerous wide receivers while also patching up the offensive line.
As a result, there is significant optimism surrounding Maye and New England with the new season on the horizon, and an unnamed Pats source from inside the team dropped an update on Maye this week, saying that the 22-year-old "looks like an NFL quarterback now," via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"Now, everything is calm and collected. [Maye] looks composed," Fowler said on SportsCenter. "So, they are ready for a Year 2 jump. They feel like they have more around him now. The Patriots have not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019. They're hoping rookie Kyle Williams, who's been really impressive, can hit it off with Maye. They're hoping he can make a jump. Stefon Diggs, still coming back from that ACL, but he was a positive influence this spring for sure."
Maye obviously still has some things to work on. In addition to his 10 picks in 2024, he also fumbled nine times, so he must do a better job of taking care of the football. But the arm talent and dual-threat ability is definitely there, which has led to many comparing the University of North Carolina product to Buffalo Bills superstar Josh Allen.
We'll see if Maye can avoid a sophomore slump this coming fall and potentially guide the Patriots back into playoff contention.
