The New England Patriots appear to have found their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, and he is certainly a deviation of what Patriots fans have become accustomed to under center.
While Tom Brady was a classic traditional pocket passer, Maye has some wheels and racked up 421 rushing yards and a couple of touchdowns while averaging a robust 7.8 yards per carry during his rookie campaign.
Prior to Brady, the Patriots had an even less athletic quarterback in Drew Bledsoe, and during a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show, Bledsoe revealed that he is jealous of Maye's speed.
“It’s such a great weapon and something, quite honestly, I’m a little bit jealous of,” Bledsoe said. “... I’m not saying do it more, but the ability to do that really changes him."
Maye definitely utilized his athleticism quite a bit last season, and it added a new dynamic to a struggling New England offense.
Bledsoe even went as far to bring up Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes as someone Maye could potentially emulate as far as using his legs.
"You watch Pat Mahomes, it seems like every game, Pat would make one big play running the ball. Obviously, he’s magic throwing the ball," he added. "It always seemed like in crunch time he’d pull it down to run for that first down that was just a backbreaker. I think Drake Maye has the ability to do that.”
Maye threw for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 66.6 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 88.1 during his debut season, and he did that while having very limited weaponry at his disposal.
The Pats made sure to add some playmakers for Maye this offseason, so perhaps the 22-year-old could truly break out in 2025.
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