Should the Patriots rush Drake Maye into starting role?
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 07: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after throwing for a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange during the second half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on October 07, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 40-7. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Regarding Drake Maye’s potential to start during this morning’s Toucher & Hardy radio program, Breer advised patience and discussed the challenges of balancing a quarterback’s development with immediate performance expectations. He highlighted the potential pressure to start Maye if the team faces early struggles despite the importance of prioritizing his long-term development.
WATCH HERE:
TRANSCRIPT:
Fred Toucher: Does Drake Maye start the first game? When do you see him coming in?
Albert Breer: I would be patient with him. So what’s going to happen is … We’re all going to say we’re caught redshirting him, and then it’s going to be October 1st. And they’re going to be. 0-4 And they’re good. They’re going to be 20,000 empty seats in the stadium. And good. I would like to see us like let’s mark the tape today on every one of the shows and see what everybody says about sitting him because I guarantee you, if the team is like 1-5 in October and Jacoby Brissett just looks like Jacoby Brissett. People will be screaming to have Drake be thrown out there. The thing that’s difficult about this is like there could be a scenario where playing Drake Maye is playing your best quarterback, but that is not what’s best for Drake Maye. I just think you have to prioritize the quarterback’s development over winning.
NICK GEMELLI is a Producer on Toucher & Hardy, weekday mornings 6-10AM on 985 The Sports Hub. He is also a contributor on 985thesportshub.com. Follow Nick on X (formerly Twitter) at @NickGemelli.
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What the draft experts are saying about new Patriots quarterback Drake Maye
On Thursday night, the New England Patriots made North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The pick was a ‘chalk’ selection for the Patriots, with most experts projecting Maye as a top quarterback in this draft and sending him to the Patriots in mock drafts.
Maye, 21, started 26 games over the last two years for North Carolina. He completed 64.9 percent of his 952 pass attempts for 8,018 yards with 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He was named ACC Player of the Year in 2022, then was second-team All-ACC last year.
—Drake Maye is exactly the kind of quarterback the Patriots needed to gamble on
—Drafting Drake Maye isn’t the end of a process for the Patriots, it’s the beginning
—Patriots mid-draft mock draft
Now, Maye will hope to have similar success in New England. He comes is and the organization’s second attempt at finding a franchise quarterback in the last four years, following the selection of the recently-traded Mac Jones 15th overall in 2021.
For those that followed the pre-draft process, Maye was one of the most talked-about players. But for those who just tuned in on draft night and don’t follow college football, he’s probably a new name. For those playing catch-up, here’s a look at what the experts were saying about Maye leading up to the draft.
Nick Gemelli, the wizard behind the scenes at Toucher & Hardy and a maestro on 985thesportshub.com, kicked off his radio escapade back in 2007 as an intern for Toucher & Rich on WBCN. After navigating through WFNX and the Boston Phoenix, he made a triumphant return to the show in 2016. Hailing from Marshfield but currently holding it down in Tewksbury, Nick’s radio journey is as dynamic as his Twitter feed. Nick writes about what happens on the Toucher & Hardy Show and Boston area lifestyle content.