Scott Zolak: Patriots can’t treat Drake Maye like Jordan Love

On Wednesday's edition of Zolak & Bertrand, Scott Zolak made it clear the Patriots can't afford to treat Drake Maye like Jordan Love.

Marc Bertrand: Dan Orlovsky talking about Drake Maye as a prospect. Zo, what's the matter?

Scott Zolak: Is he middle of the 20s type pick?

Marc Bertrand: No.

Scott Zolak: Thank you. Where's he going potentially? Third. Maybe second to the Commanders. If you're evaluating quarterbacks, and you're thinking we got a prospect that's got feet issues, but we're so desperate we're going to take him a 2 or 3 and timeline wise, sit him for a year or even two, nope. OUT. We don't have the time to develop a quarterback for two years here, folks. Stop comparing it to Jordan Love. I can't say it enough. Aaron Rodgers was the freaking quarterback, top two quarterback in the game when he's on, when they drafted Love late first round. This is a high premium first round pick organizationally changing your complexion, the way you structure your organization and build it around somebody to draft a guy with bad feet.

We just got done talking about you criticizing Mac Jones' feet this year. Set your feet. His feet are off. He's not in balance. Yeah, all quarterbacks do have that. You get a little flustered when you're playing this league because things happen fast, right? You're thinking, you're trying to move. Oh, man my feet aren't set. You get caught on things. You don't have the luxury to draft this man or this kid nmber three overall and say we're going to sit you for a year or two. That is a high end problem to have.

When you're the Chiefs and you're winning 11 games with Alex Smith, you can draft Patrick Mahomes. He had a feet problem? I don't remember that. Every highlight I see, he's moving around with his feet and how great his feet are and how he throws off balance and how he looks like a shortstop. This kid's not a shortstop. He's an upright, sorry, erect passer, right in the pocket.

He and Jayden Daniels are good pocket guys. I want him up and I want him throwing. If I'm picking him three, he's my quarterback. We're off and running. Get him ready on Alex Van Pelt. Get him ready, Ben McAdoo. Do what you got to do. Get Tyron Smith. Protect him backside. Sign Mike Onwenu, get your guards taken care of. Get a fullback in here. Run the ball, play action, let's go. Get Pop Douglas on the slot. Get Kendrick Bourne back here and draft a receiver. I'm not sitting here putting them under the microscope and nit-picking his feet.

We are a desperate offensive football team. From people that I talked to and people that you hear talk to this team, they feel offensively, they need 7 to 9 potential players, new players on offense. You don't have the luxury to sit a quarterback if you're picking him top three.

Tight end sounds like a major priority for the New England Patriots, based on all the free agent rumors we've heard about them and the position.

And it makes perfect sense. The Pats have exactly one tight end under contract for 2024: La'Michael Pettway. They originally signed Pettway to the practice squad in December, then promoted him to the 53-man roster with a two-year deal in January.

MORE: Ranking the top-10 free-agent wide receivers of 2024

According to Jeff Howe at The Athletic, the Patriots have three top priorities in free agency, in this order: wide receiver, offensive tackle, and tight end. The receiver market has dried up some, with multiple top options getting the franchise tag or signing new deals. At tackle, meanwhile, they could be in play for the top guys available.

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If the Pats still want to find a solid starting tight end, there are multiple names to watch in free agency - including their own guys. However, it's not sounding great for their chances to re-sign Hunter Henry. Bottom line, they're going to need to field competitive offers to land someone good. For this particular team, it's going to come down to paying up.

The Patriots were previously linked to Dalton Schultz, but he came off the market after signing a new deal with the Texans. But they've also been linked to other notable names on track to hit the open market. Here's a roundup of Patriots free agent rumors at tight end...

Let's start with the latest on Henry, thanks to a comprehensive new report at MassLive. The simplest option for the Pats would be to re-sign their team captain from 2023, but according to the report, they're "far apart on an extension."

So, expect Henry to test the open market. He could still be a candidate to return, though, if he'd be willing to give the Patriots a chance to match his best offer.

Hooper may be the most intriguing name left for the Patriots among the free agents. That's because he has familiarity with Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who coached him on the Cleveland Browns in 2020 and 2021. Per MassLive, Hooper could be a "name to watch" for New England.

Hooper averaged 49 catches, 457 yards, and four touchdowns per 17 games with the Browns, and showed his capabilities as a No. 1 tight end during his time with the Falcons. He may not be quite the same player, but he'd make for a solid signing for a team in need of A tight end, ANY tight end, like the Patriots.

Bryant makes this list because he's also a name worth knowing due to his work with Van Pelt. Bryant played all 17 games for the Browns last season, but was stuck behind David Njoku on the depth chart. He caught just 13 passes for 81 yards.

He did, however, manage to catch three touchdowns with that target share, so perhaps there's still upside and he'd be in for more production with a bigger role on the Patriots.

Another internal option, and one that was a pleasant surprise in 2023. Brown caught 13 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown, but that was off minimal expectations, so it wouldn't be the worst move to bring him back.

Brown wouldn't, however, qualify as a starting-caliber tight end, which the Patriots undoubtedly need. But he'd be affordable, and has shown he can be a dependable backup for whoever's in front of him as the starter.

Noah Fant would make sense as an athletic pass-catching tight end for Van Pelt's offense. Other free agents-to-be at tight end include Gerald Everett, Irv Smith Jr., Colby Parkinson, Adam Trautman, Will Dissly, and Drew Sample.

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt's content.