Emptying out the notebook from the NFL Combine.
North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye had one goal throughout the NFL Combine: be himself.
That was seen in his brief moment in the spotlight, when Maye hurdled onto the stage Friday morning for his media availability in which he showcased his charismatic personality.
But a similar high-energy approach was taken behind the scenes as well, as Maye impressed teams he met with in brief Combine meetings. That group included the New England Patriots.
It shouldn’t be a surprise, as Maye’s Tar Heel teammates have been public about how their quarterback can command the attention of a room.
“Skill set-wise, everybody knows,” North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker told The Athletic of Maye during the Senior Bowl. “They’ve seen the tape. But who he is as a person and a leader. Seeing him walk into a room and how everyone gravitates toward him. He’s just a natural-born leader.”
That will likely matter to a team like New England, who has made it clear that leadership — beyond the physical traits — will be one of the key characteristics they look for in their next quarterback.
Also on that list of traits New England is searching for is toughness, which Maye shared he tried to prove to his teammates was part of his game.
“That’s one of the toughest things as a quarterback,” he said last Friday. “You’re not touched in practice. People think you don’t lift as hard because you’re not barbell benching and people kind of call you out for it. I think the biggest thing for me was running.
“Sometimes I hurdled or tried to break tackles. I think some of the hurdle stuff I have to shy away from to stay healthy. But at the same time, I’m just competing. Some of the best impacts I think I had was after I ran for a first down, made somebody miss or tried to hurdle a guy. Those guys loved that. That was kind of my way.”
The Combine was just a first-impression for Maye with the Patriots, but the 6-foot-4 gunslinger made it count. The team will likely host Maye on a top-30 visit before the draft, where the quarterback has one specific person he’d like to meet.
“I think one of the best stories people talk about is Robert Kraft and how he got to his place,” Maye said on The Adam Schefter Podcast last week when asked who he’d like to meet throughout the pre-draft process. “So sitting there and asking him how he got there and stuff like that.”
Beyond Maye, here are other Patriots-related notes from our time in Indianapolis.
Quinn’s Choice: Maye will only fall to the Patriots if the Washington Commanders go elsewhere with the second overall pick — likely quarterback Jayden Daniels. While much of the attention has been focused on who offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury would prefer, head coach Dan Quinn’s opinion should also play a key role in the selection.
“That No. 2 pick with Dan Quinn now as the head coach at Washington, I feel like Jayden Daniels is more in play there than ever,” NFL Network’s Charles Davis said during the Combine broadcast. “Because defensive coaches hate quarterbacks who can run the ball like Jayden Daniels.
“Those defensive coordinator if you ask them the one that scares them, Dan Quinn will tell you… Jayden Daniels is as close to Lamar Jackson coming out this year that we’ve seen in that time frame. And that’s what defensive coordinators go crazy about.”
Brady Connection: If Daniels or Maye are selected by the Patriots, they’ll be playing their home games with six Super Bowl banners hanging above their heads. That’s thanks in large part to Tom Brady, who both quarterbacks acknowledged in their Combine availability.
“It would be dope,” Daniels said. “Obviously growing up and seeing what Tom Brady did there – six Super Bowls – that’s tough to live up to, but it would be dope to come in there and see the success they had and help them get back on that track.”
As for Maye, the UNC product has a close connection with Brady from his final season in Chapel Hill. Clyde Christensen, who served as Brady’s quarterbacks coach for three seasons in Tampa Bay, served as an offensive analyst for North Carolina’s program last year.
“Shoot, that’s a lot to live up to now with Tom. One of the best. One of the GOATS,” Maye said. “Coach Christensen was my [coach], he helped with the quarterbacks in North Carolina. He coached Tom back in Tampa. I got to watch some old film, some quarterback drills — how consistent he was and how he handled himself and took care of his body.”
J.J. Rising: The top three quarterback prospects — USC’s Caleb Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels — seemed set in stone entering Indianapolis. But there may be a challenger leaving the week in Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who said it’d be an “honor” to play for the Patriots organization following their meeting.
While smoke screen season is in full affect, the buzz for McCarthy has grown since the conclusion of the college football season. Some believe he may have worked himself into the top-10 pick range, with others are even believing he could wind up in play within the top three selections.
Time will tell if the McCarthy hype is serious or if he follows a similar path as Will Levis last season, who shot up mock drafts before falling into the second-round on draft night, but he at least seems locked into the QB4 spot for the time being.
Receiver-needy: Eliot Wolf made it known publicly the Patriots need to “weaponize” their offense. According to Jerod Mayo, that means getting players that the defensive side has to prepare for. They know behind closed doors that includes upgrading the wide receiver position.
Luckily for the Patriots, this year’s wide receiver class is littered with talent. The position stole the show at the Combine (beyond Xavier Worthy’s record setting 4.21-second 40-yard dash) and the first-round of the draft could see seven or eight receivers come off the board.
But even if the Patriots pass on the position in on day one, they’ll have options with either their second- or third-round selections. That group could include Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, Florida’s Ricky Pearsall — for more in him, please check out this story — Michigan’s Roman Wilson, South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan, and many, many others.
However, if the Patriots add one or even two receivers to their depth chart, they’ll need to clear snaps off the roster — which currently has five players under contract who played snaps last season, as well as an offer on the table for Kendrick Bourne to return. That would likely start with finding ways to move off of DeVante Parker and/or JuJu Smith-Schuster.
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