The New England Patriots selected North Carolina Tar Heels star quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft last week. And while the team doesn’t want to put too much pressure on him immediately, it sounds like he will have the chance to start right off the bat.
During a recent interview with Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo made it clear that he hopes Drake Maye will be able to learn from veteran Jacoby Brissett, but that both players will compete and the best player will be the team’s starter.
“Coming in as a rookie, hopefully he’s a sponge,” Mayo told Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media about Maye. “A lot of good players in that locker room. Look, Jacoby understands. He’s a mentor. He’s very smart, has great leadership skills, and hopefully Drake can learn something from him, as well. I would say we’re going to compete all spring. We’re going to compete during training camp, and the best player will start.”
Obviously, there is usually a learning curve with a player moving to the professional level, but Mayo made it clear that they will give Maye the opportunity to earn the job from day one if he is the best quarterback.
“You can sit here and say he’s not supposed to be pro-ready,” Mayo said of Maye, “but once you get a guy in the building, what if he’s tearing us up on defense?”
We’ll have to see how it all plays out.
