The QBs spoke to the media on Thursday.
The New England Patriots new regime has had their hands full this week in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine. That has included meeting with several — but not all — of this year’s top quarterback prospects.
Among those prospects were the consensus top three QBs — USC’s Caleb Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. All three were impressed by New England and head coach Jerod Mayo.
“I was really impressed with them,” Maye said Thursday morning. “Coach Mayo, first congratulated him too. Anytime [you have] a new head coach — a pretty cool experience. So just being in there, New England’s obviously a great sports town… So I thought it went well. I think New England’s a great spot.”
“It was good,” Daniels added. “Just to be able to put a name to a face. I know the names of those guys, so to be able to sit down and have a human contact, talk eye-to-eye with them. It was just great to go in there and just talk and get to know them and they get to know me.”
Williams — who is projected to be the first player off the board come late April — provided some details on the meeting with New England’s smaller contingent.
“The Patriots were cool. The room wasn’t as packed. They had just a few guys here,” he said. “We talked mainly about ball. It was a good impression. They were asking me questions about my life, about ball. Testing me and things like that.
“All the meetings were good and they were all kind of in the same ballpark. They don’t really get to see you and test your mental, so this quick 10-20 minutes they have, that’s what they’re mainly doing.”
Beyond the top three projected quarterbacks, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy also sat down with New England this week. The Patriots did not, however, meet with Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
As for the reigning National Champion McCarthy, the quarterback echoed similar compliments towards New England as his fellow QBs.
“Coach Mayo, just awesome guy,” he said. “Asked really great questions. You can definitely tell that he’s been around this process a long time and been a part of it. It’s just great interactions again. It’d be an honor to be a part of their organization.”
With the Patriots seemingly trending in the direction of adding a quarterback early in the draft, they will hope whatever gunslinger will be the catalyst of helping them get back into contention.
“It would be dope,” Daniels said. “Obviously growing up and seeing what Tom Brady did, six Super Bowls, that’s tough to live up to. But that’d be dope to come in there, see the success that they had, and help them get back on that track.”
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