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Former NFL QB takes victory lap for ‘perfect’ 2023 Drake Maye take
"Drake Maye is, to me, about as perfect of a prospect that I have ever seen in 15 years at ESPN,” Hasselbeck said.
Drake Maye has emerged as an MVP candidate in his second season, and the traits that led the Patriots to draft him look obvious now.
But the young quarterback had his share of detractors when he was coming out of UNC. Merril Hoge famously called Maye “the kind of player that will get you fired” not long before the Patriots drafted him.
But obviously to be taken No. 3 overall, Maye had his share of vocal supporters. One of them is former NFL QB Tim Hasselbeck, who took a victory lap on “The Dan Patrick Show” for his take on Maye’s potential.
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“Drake Maye is, to me, about as perfect of a prospect that I have ever seen in 15 years at ESPN,” Hasselbeck said in 2023.
Patrick had Hasselbeck on as a guest again this week, and praised him for being right about Maye.
“I think I said to you back then, the hot takes aren’t really me. That’s not what I’ve done over the last 18 years or so, so I appreciate the victory lap. I usually don’t get those. I hear it when I’m wrong a lot, so I appreciate you for bringing that back.”
The Patriots are on an eight-game winning streak, largely boosted by the development of their passing attack. New England had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last year. Now they’re 7th in the league in scoring at 27.2 points per game.
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The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Maye has developed into one of the best deep ball throwers in the NFL. The Patriots are consistently producing explosive plays. Maye’s combination of accuracy and running ability make him a dual-threat that has been difficult to defend this season.
“The physical tools were obviously there,” Hasselbeck said, when asked what he saw in Maye. “That was a no-brainer, and that’s the case a lot of times with guys. They’re just physically talented and that type of thing.
“But I think there were other things about him in terms of just his makeup. What his path was through high school, what his upbringing was, what his experience was like at Carolina. How it started, things he had to persevere through.”
Hasselbeck, who spent several years as an analyst covering prime time Atlantic Coast Conference football games for the ACC Network, said his conversations with Maye were a valuable part of his evaluation.
“When you can sit with somebody and say ‘OK, well why did that happen? Or, ‘What did you see here?’ That tells you way more than just watching somebody’s film and making an assessment on it,” Hasselbeck said.
“I’ve been right about other guys in the past. I’ve been wrong about other guys in the past. To me, there was really nothing wrong with him as a prospect coming out and from my conversations with him, it was like, ‘This guy totally gets it’. Gets everything about playing the position and what it would be like to have to be the leader of a franchise.”
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