Maye Overhyped? Patriots Rookie QB May Struggle Without Elite Weapons

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye enjoyed a rather impressive rookie campaign, perhaps establishing himself as the team's franchise player moving forward.

Of course, the jury is still out on Maye overall. He has yet to play a full season, and there definitely some areas in which he requires obvious improvement.

That being said, most are generally bullish on the former No. 3 overall pick heading into 2025, so much so that the Patriots are viewed by some as potential playoff contenders. Heck, some have even gone so far as to put New England into the postseason.

The Pats made a bunch of moves to get better this offseason, addressing both sides of the football and providing Maye with some improved weaponry and a much more stout offensive line in the process, or so we think. But what if the 22-year-old endures a sophomore slump?

Are we overrating Maye?

Fans and pundits seem to be overlooking the very real possibility that Maye could struggle in Year 2 with defenses prepared to adjust to him. We just witnessed this with C.J. Stroud in Houston, and we have seen it with countless young quarterbacks over the years.

For all of the talk about how much better Maye's receiving corps is this time around, it's important to remember that he will be relying on Stefon Diggs to be his No. 1 receiver. The same Stefon Diggs who is coming off of a torn ACL at 31 years old and whose Week 1 status remains in question.

Is Maye really good enough to uplift the rest of the shaky receiver room just yet? It's not like the Patriots are teeming with elite weapons. Diggs is the only wide out on the roster who has even sniffed a Pro Bowl. Do we really think Maye is at the level to dominate in spite of a pedestrian group of weapons?

Maye could ultimately become a terrific player. He could be the franchise quarterback New England has been searching for since Tom Brady departed five years ago. But it might not be as soon as 2025, and that could be a tough pill to swallow for those expecting a major leap from Maye in Year 2.