Jerod Mayo called Drake Maye’s Patriots interview ‘fantastic’ and said the QB’s potential has ‘no ceiling’
"If we take a quarterback at No. 3 that means we are convicted that this player is really the future of this organization."
North Carolina’s Drake Maye is the youngest and the biggest of the projected top-three quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.
Some draft analysts, such as Merril Hoge, have said that Maye is “completely erratic” throwing the football, citing his footwork as a potential cause for concern. Others say the 2022 ACC offensive player of the year has an elite arm that allows him to make all kinds of throws and is worthy of a top-3 pick.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo gave reporters his take on Maye during an interview at the AFC coaches breakfast on Monday.
“Drake Maye had a fantastic interview at the combine,” Mayo said. “He brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability. Also, the exciting part about a guy like Drake Maye is the ceiling. Like, there is really no ceiling with a guy like that.”
“Now, in saying that when we’re trying to put together this roster I know a lot of people look at the ceiling but you’ve also got to kind of see how low is the floor?” Mayo added. “I would say a guy like Drake Maye 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 looked at. But, he’s definitely going to develop.”
The Patriots hold the No. 3 pick in next month’s draft. Whether or not they can select Maye depends on what the Bears and the Commanders do with their picks. The Bears reportedly favor USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The Commanders also could use a quarterback, but it’s not clear whether they prefer Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels.
Mayo was also asked how his meeting with Daniels went.
“I was on a zoom with him. I’ve met him before. Look, those guys have Pro Days coming up here soon,” Mayo said. “Like, when I leave here I’m going to LSU and then when I leave LSU I’m going to Carolina before I get back home but you have to do your due diligence. And once again, it’s not all about me, it’s not all about (de facto GM) Eliot (Wolf) which you guys have heard me say a lot, it’s about collaboration.”
Mayo said there are about five or six quarterbacks in the draft who he believes could eventually do a solid job as the Patriots’ starter. He declined to name the players he was talking about.
Mayo recently said that drafting a quarterback is a priority for the Patriots with the No. 3 overall pick, but also left the door open for a potential trade back scenario. The most “guaranteed” way to win is to accumulate the most picks, Mayo said.
“Once again, if we take a quarterback at No. 3 that means we are convicted that this player is really the future of this organization,” Mayo said. ” There are multiple pieces on this team as a whole that we want to fill those holes. If you can gather more picks, that definitely helps you out, put more chips on the table. But, the more picks that you have, the more chance that you have to actually get them.”
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