New England Patriots

Matt Hasselbeck compared Patriots’ Drake Maye to this Pro Bowl quarterback

"I think I really like the person. He has a contagious thing about him.”

Drake Maye's strong arm has drawn comparisons to some of the top QBs in the NFL. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

By Conor Ryan

May 28, 2024

2 minutes to read

The Patriots are holding out hope that Drake Maye will develop into a franchise quarterback in due time.

That optimism is apparently not just felt within the walls of Gillette Stadium.

Speaking to ESPN’s Mike Reiss over the weekend, former NFL QB and Boston College alum Matt Hasselbeck compared Maye and his skillset to one of the top signal-callers in the game today.

“To me, he’s a lot like Justin Herbert. So if you like Justin Herbert, I think you’ll like Drake Maye,” Hasselbeck told Reiss. “And I really like Justin Herbert. I think his best football is ahead of him. I love his personality. I love his demeanor. I love his toughness.

“I love his athleticism. Athleticism can get you in trouble sometimes, and it doesn’t always translate from college to the NFL, but I think his athleticism does. I think, more than anything, I think I really like the person. He has a contagious thing about him.”

The Patriots would be thrilled if Maye followed a similar career trajectory as Herbert, who quickly blossomed into a star QB thanks to his elite arm, pro-ready frame and ability to read defenses.

Over his first four seasons in the NFL, Herbert has thrown 114 touchdowns and 42 interceptions — completing 66.6 percent of his passes and accumulating 17,223 total passing yards.

An affinity for Maye and his high ceiling in the NFL ranks apparently runs in the Hasselback family. Matt’s brother, Tim, also raved about Maye’s potential even before New England selected the rookie with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“[I’ve] been at ESPN for 15 years evaluating quarterbacks as they come out for the draft,” Tim Hasselbeck said of Maye during an interview on WEEI in March. “I think he’s as good of a prospect as I have evaluated in this entire time. So, you know, from the Matthew Stafford’s to the Matt Ryan, to you name ’em over that stretch — Andrew Luck … I think that he’s that good of a prospect.”

“I think when people go through the process with Drake Maye, there is almost nothing to not like about him,” he added. “Now he’s a really big guy, so if you got really picky, could you say, ‘Hey, I’d like his delivery to be a little more compact?’ Yeah, absolutely you could say that. … I think that when I look at him, I think he’s going to be a better pro than college player. I think athletically, physically, mentally — like athletically, he’s going to be on par with the best.”