After already being well-represented at Jayden Daniels’ throwing session on Wednesday, the Patriots are also visiting Maye and company.
On Wednesday, we wrote about the New England Patriots sending their A team of coaches and executives to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels’ pro day in Baton Rouge. On Thursday, that team has arrived at another campus: the Patriots’ contingent made the trip to Chapel Hill to watch North Carolina’s pro day.
The main draw, of course, is QB Drake Maye. A projected first-round draft pick and realistic candidate to be selected third overall by the Patriots, Maye will hold a throwing session and also meet with New England’s representatives before the workout.
That group is looking a lot like the one New England sent to watch Daniels at LSU. Head coach Jerod Mayo and director of scouting Eliot Wolf are leading the charge, according to a report by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, with other high-level members of the organization also present.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo, all made the trip as well. In addition, director of player personnel Matt Groh, senior personnel advisor Patrick Stewart, senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith, and national scout Matt Evans are also present.
The only changes compared to Wednesday are the addition of Evans, as well as the absence of college scouting director Camren Williams and personnel coordinator Brian Smith. Williams has traveled to the University of Washington to represent the team at the Huskies’ own pro day.
New England continuing to take a close look at Maye after already interviewing him at the Scouting Combine is no surprise. As noted above, the quarterback-needy team could very well end up drafting the 21-year-old next month, and it is not hard to see why.
Starting 26 combined games for the Tar Heels during his sophomore and junior campaigns, Maye completed 611 of 942 pass attempts (64.9%) for 7,929 yards with 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. In addition, he gained 1,147 rushing yards on 296 carries and found the end zone 16 times.
His numbers, while impressive, do not tell the full story when it comes to Maye. The 6-foot-4, 223-pound passer also is as intriguing a prospect as there is in this year’s draft due to his franchise-caliber combination of size, arm talent, baseline athleticism, and developmental upside. While there are questions about his comparatively lackluster 2023 season, his potential is undeniable and something the Patriots do have a vested interest in.
“Drake Maye had a fantastic interview at the Combine. He brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability,” said head coach Jerod Mayo about him earlier this week. “Also the exciting part about a guy like Drake Maye, there is really no ceiling with a guy like that. In saying that, when we’re trying to put together this roster, I know a lot of people look at the ceiling. But you also have to look at how low is the floor.
“I would say a guy like Drake Maye — he has a lot of room to grow. He’s a young guy. Honestly, he hasn’t played football nearly as much as these other guys. So that’s definitely something we’ve looked at, but he’s definitely going to develop.”
Despite sitting behind the equally QB-needy Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, the Patriots are in a prime position to draft one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class. Whether it will end up being Maye, Daniels, or even Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy remains to be seen.
They are doing their homework on all of the available options, though. Their trip to Chapel Hill is just the latest piece of the puzzle.
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