New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye arrived at Gillette Stadium on Friday morning less than a day after the team took him No. 3 in the NFL Draft.
“Thanks for trusting me, believing in me… I’m not gonna make you regret it,” Maye said about what he told owner Robert Kraft in an introductory press conference at the stadium.
Wearing a cream-color suit, light blue tie, and a Patriots hat, Maye talked about his aspirations of joining a franchise that dominated the league for two decades. The former North Carolina star also received his No. 10 jersey in the process.
“As long as it ain’t 12 [having] to fill those shoes,” Maye said.
The shadow of retired quarterback Tom Brady, who wore No. 12, still looms large over Foxborough. Brady led the Patriots two six Super Bowl wins and nine appearances between 2000 and 2019 before he departed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Since then, the Patriots haven’t won a playoff game and endured three losing seasons. Previous Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who also wore No. 10, didn’t pan out before the team traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Maye wore No. 10 at UNC and in high school. A Huntersville, N.C., native, Maye became a two-year starter with the Tar Heels where he threw for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns versus 16 interceptions in his college career.
After getting picked on Thursday, Maye emphasized that he won’t try to be Brady. On Friday, Maye gave another nod to Brady and expressed the desire to “pick his brain” at the six-time champion’s ceremony on June 12.
“I feel like I fit right in. Just ready to get working and be all about ball,” Maye said.
Drake Maye Joins a New-Look Patriots Organization
Maye joins a Patriots organization that looks vastly different from the Brady era. Longtime head coach Bill Belichick stepped down after the season, and former linebacker and defensive assistant Jerod Mayo took over as head coach.
“A guy like Drake has all the natural ability that you want,” Mayo said in Thursday’s press conference. “He can make all the throws. Really it’s about getting to the playbook. It’s going to be a different scheme. One thing about our playbook offensively, we’re going to be a game plan offense and we’re going to tailor our offensive game plan to whoever the quarterback is. We’ll see how that pans out.”
Maye has ideal size at 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds. He’s known for his big arm and prowess as a passer, but Maye can make plays with his legs, too.
At UNC, Maye rushed for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns on 302 carries. The Tar Heels used him as a punter twice, too, and he averaged 40.5 yards on his two attempts.
Jerod Mayo Expects Drake Maye to Lead Patriots Offense to New Heights
Mayo expects to Maye to take offense places that Jones couldn’t. Jones struggled the past two seasons amid the Patriots not having superstar players on offense.
“One thing about Drake, and we kind of talked about it this past year, they also had some holes on offense, and the thing that most impressed me about him, he would get smashed and just get right back up,” Mayo said. “That’s the same trait — you had a guy like Tom Brady — not saying that he’s Tom, but just that mentality. Same thing with Joe Burrow. Those guys just keep getting back up and continuing to play at a high level, and that was like the aha moment for me.”
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