How Drake Maye’s college quarterback battle can help him early in New England
It was made clear after he was drafted the New England Patriots expect Drake Maye to win the team’s starting quarterback job. How did things play out last time Maye faced a similar challenge?
As quarterback Drake Maye begins his New England Patriots career, the first major challenge he faces is winning the starting job. In their draft night press conference after selecting Maye third overall, both head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf were insistent that Maye will have to compete for the job, rather than having it handed to him Day 1.
This won’t be the first time Maye has faced a quarterback competition against more experienced players though. When Sam Howell left UNC following the 2021 season after three years as the Tar Heels’ starter, there was an open competition between Maye and and redshirt sophomore Jacolby Criswell, who joined the program in 2020. Criswell was listed as Howell’s backup in 2021, and started one game in place of Howell while Maye redshirted that season.
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Heading into the 2022 season it was a close decision, UNC head coach Mack Brown recalled when speaking with Patriots reporters on Monday.
“Here’s a five star [recruit], and we had Jacolby Criswell who was the player of the year in Arkansas and he was a high-four star, and Jacolby probably looked better in the Spring Game than than Drake,” Brown said. “ACC Network did the game and they were saying, ‘you got a problem here, you got two really good quarterbacks.’ And I said, ‘that’s not a problem, but you’re right.'”
WATCH: Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell at the 2022 UNC Spring Game
How did Maye flip the depth chart from the Spring Game to Week 1 of the 2022 season? Brown explained what transpired over the summer that led to him starting Maye, saying he used a similar approach to past quarterback battles he’d had to sort out such as Chris Simms–Major Applewhite and Jevan Snead–Colt McCoy at Texas, or when Howell beat out Jace Ruder and Cade Fortin as a true freshman at UNC in 2019.
“I love to watch the guys compete over the summer,” Brown said, talking about the throwing sessions players will hold away from campus. “All the players are there. And then I take maybe ten players that I really trust when we all get back for pre-season and I say, ‘who’s your starting quarterback?’ And when I did, every one of them said Drake.”
Maye didn’t just look like the better passer during this sessions, but according to Brown his overall competitiveness was a major reason he stood out.
“Drake won every race. I can watch them work out – I can’t watch them throw [per NCAA rules],” Brown recalls. “And when I would come, Drake would be beating defensive backs – he’d be beating everybody, because he was going to win that job. And that’s the competitor that he is.”
“I think that was it more than anything else because there was no question in their mind. ‘Coach, Drake is your quarterback. 100%,'” Brown continued. “And then they were right.”
Maye ended up winning the job and never looked back. He started 16 games in a row for the Tar Heels between 2022 and 2023, not missing a game until he opted out of the bowl game at the end of this past season to prepare for the draft.
(Meanwhile, Criswell ended up transferring to Arkansas after throwing six total passes in four games during the 2022 season. After serving as a backup for the Razorbacks in 2023, he announced last week he’s transferring back to UNC for 2024 and will again compete for the starting job.)
Now just two years later, Maye faces another quarterback competition in New England. Of course, the circumstances are a little different. This time around, as a third-overall pick rather than a high-school recruit, it is clear he is going to start eventually.
His biggest competition isn’t another highly-touted prospect. instead it’s veteran Jacoby Brissett, who was brought in to be a mentor to Maye and keep things running until he’s ready, rather than stake a claim to the job long-term. It’s not as much about if Maye win the job, but when and how convincingly he’ll do it.
So what is applicable? First, we know Maye knows how to keep himself ready. Keep in mind that when all of this was playing out in 2022, Maye basically hadn’t taken a competitive snap in two years. His senior season in high school (in the fall of 2020) was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, then he redshirted as a true freshman at UNC in 2021. Despite that, he didn’t show any rust once his number was called.
On top of that Maye also showed an ability to win over teammates – even those older and more experienced than him. While the coach ultimately decides who the starting quarterback will be – just as Brown did for the Tar Heels in 2022 – the pulse of the locker room is important. Players want to play with the quarterback they feel will give them the best chance to win, and if Maye can prove to his new teammates (and coaches) in New England he is that guy – just like he did in the summer of 2022 – it could go a long way in shortening his wait for the starting job.
Read more about Drake Maye below…
What the draft experts are saying about new Patriots quarterback Drake Maye
Lance Zerlein, NFL.com
CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 18: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels passes the ball during the second quarter against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium on November 18, 2023 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
“Challenging evaluation with top-flight measurables and tools but inconsistencies that create a lower floor. Maye’s size and arm talent jump off the tape immediately. He can make every throw, but he will try to make throws that he shouldn’t have attempted. The gunslinger mentality creates a fearlessness that can turn into interceptions, but it will also allow him to win in tight windows and make splash throws that get crowds (and evaluators) on their feet. He leaves too many throws on the back shoulder or hip and needs to learn when to take some sauce off the throw to make it more catchable. There is an undeniable energy to Maye’s game that can create momentum or turn chaotic when plays come off-schedule for him. The combination of traits and tape make him a boom/bust prospect who might need patient management and coaching to help shepherd him toward his potential.”
Dane Brugler, The Athletic
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates after a North Carolina Tar Heels touchdown in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
“A two-year starter at North Carolina, Maye thrived in Phil Longo’s Air Raid offense in 2022 and Chip Lindsey’s more balanced attack in 2023 (head coach Mack Brown also hired Clyde Christensen, who coached Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and several other NFL quarterbacks, as an offensive analyst in 2023). Despite only two years as the Tar Heels’ starter, they were the two most productive seasons by a quarterback in North Carolina history — Maye’s 5,019 yards of total offense in 2022 set the school record and his 4,057 yards of total offense in 2023 was the second-most (he was the only FBS quarterback to accumulate over 9,000 yards of total offense over the last two seasons). With his arm strength and pacing, Maye put the full inventory of throws on tape and operates with timing from the pocket to attack the defense’s leverage. He is a quick-reaction athlete to make plays off-schedule as a scrambler and can rip throws from different platforms. His arm can get juiced-up at times, disrupting his ball placement, and his progression reads are still a work in progress, especially when he feels pressed to make a play (39-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the first half compared to 24-to-12 in the second half). Overall, Maye needs to cut down on the reckless decisions, but he is a well-put-together passer with the on-field command, athletic instincts and arm talent to create solutions for the problems that NFL defenses present. With his physical gifts and smarts, he is cut from the same cloth as Justin Herbert and has a similar ceiling as an NFL player”
Derrik Klassen, Bleacher report
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 28: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks to pass against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“Drake Maye is the prototypical quarterback prospect. Size, speed, arm strength; he’s got all the tools you look for in a franchise quarterback. Maye’s arm talent is the core of his game. He can throw a 100 mph fastball into a tight window over the middle or outside the numbers. Maye can also throttle down and put throws where only his receiver can go get it, as well as creating smooth yards-after-the-catch transitions for his receivers on underneath routes. He possesses every club in the bag.
Maye can do all of that off-platform, too. He has no issue throwing without a proper base under him or when he’s falling away from pressure. Likewise, Maye can really spin it when he’s on the move, both on rollouts and when scrambling. Maye is also a good athlete. He isn’t a special runner, but he’s at least in the same tier of rushing ability as New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Designed runs are on the table with him, and he has a little bit of juice as a scrambler.
When it comes to processing, Maye is more good than bad, but he’s not perfect. Maye does well to execute UNC’s relatively simple offense. He excels at playing on time, adhering to the structure of the play, and progressing all the way to his checkdowns if need be. However, Maye does have moments where he doesn’t see or react to post-snap movement. In particular, late safety rotations don’t always trigger the response out of him that you’d like to see.
Maye also has a little bit of Superman Syndrome. There are two or three plays a game where things break down and Maye feels the need to do something outrageous to salvage the play, rather than just move onto the next play or series. You don’t want Maye to lose his edge, but some of those plays must be cut out.
Overall, Maye is a supremely talented passer. He has the athleticism, arm talent and baseline processing skills to become a weapon at the next level. All he needs to do is cut out some of the “doing too much” plays. Maye has the skill set to fit in any system and develop into a star.”
Mel Kiper, ESPN
Sep 16, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to pass in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
“Maye had a fantastic debut season as the starter at UNC, throwing for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven picks in 2022. He looks the part of a big-time NFL quarterback. He can make every throw with ease. He’s accurate on the move and can pick up first downs with his legs. Maye varies his pass speeds really well — he knows when to take a little off to make it easier for his receivers. He has outstanding touch on vertical throws.
The biggest question about Maye heading into the 2023 season was about who was catching his passes, as his top two receivers — Josh Downs and Antoine Green — are now in the NFL and transfer target Devontez Walker was finally made eligible. Breaking in new playmakers was part of the reason for predecessor Sam Howell’s up-and-down 2021 season for the Tar Heels, and Maye has had to figure things out with a new group.
Maye completed 63.3% of his passes during the season and his best performance came when he threw for 442 yards and three scores against Syracuse. Still, he has had a few sloppy interceptions and I wanted to see him clean up those mistakes. He finished with 24 touchdown passes and nine picks.”
Field Yates, ESPN
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 02: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels stiff-arms Stone Blanton #52 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half of the game at Bank of America Stadium on September 02, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
“Maye has a flamethrower arm, ideal size and very good mobility — he led UNC in rushing in 2022 (698 yards) and scored 16 rushing TDs over the past two seasons. And he threw 22 go-ahead touchdown passes over the past two seasons, tied with Michael Penix Jr. for the most among my top six quarterbacks.”
