Quarterbacks rule the roost in the NFL. If you have a great one, you can compete for the Lombardi Trophy. If you have a good one, you'll have a chance at the playoffs. If not, you're likely to be an also-ran no matter how good the rest of the roster is.
The Patriots are caught somewhere in the middle of all this. They invested the third pick overall in the 2024 draft on Drake Maye. Even after being mismanaged to a fare-thee-well by his coaching staff and maybe others in the Pats hierarchy, Maye still turned in a brilliant rookie season.
Yet, the proverbial jury is still out on the young phenom after only part of a season under his belt. But of course, there were mitigating factors. Regardless, one analyst, Henry McKenna of Fox Sports, has ranked the NFL quarterbacks, and Maye's ranking isn't among the best.
Fox Sports ranks Drake Maye 20th among all NFL quarterbacks
In Henry McKenna's article ranking quarterbacks, Maye is slotted in below the middle of the pack at No. 20. That's not abysmal, but it also isn't the stuff of deep playoff runs either.
"Maye has kept a low profile while his hype train gains steam. Film junkies love him, because they spent 2024 wondering: What if? Well, given how much the Patriots paid to change the complexion of this offense, we might actually find out."
Maye's ranking is indicative of a few key aspects of the 2024 season. First, the rookie was allocated no pre-season first-team reps at all and didn't begin to get any until about the fourth or fifth game of the season. An argument can be made that it wouldn't have made much of a difference with the supporting cast he had with him. That won't be a bad take. He had little.
Yet, that team, as poorly constituted as it was by an awful 2024 offseason, still only lost six games by one score. That's not a monstrous difference between a solid season and the disaster that it was. That's why Maye's decent ranking after starting only 13 games holds considerable promise for 2025.
Drake Maye will emerge as an NFL star in year two under Mike Vrabel
McKenna alluded to the offseason work done on the Patriots' offense. It's been immense. Vrabel was the catalyst for all the good things that happened in an A+ offseason. He brought in a bona fide top NFL offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels. He's a proven commodity. If he's able to adapt and properly utilize Maye's abilities as a dual-threat quarterback, the sky is the limit.
Vrabel also added big-time to his porous offensive line. He brought in two veteran starters in right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury. He also invested his fourth-overall first-round pick on the best left tackle in the draft, Will Campbell, and a third-rounder on the draft's best center, Jared Wilson. Those are heavy and well-placed investments.
Vrabel then stacked the receiver room with former four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs, and former Buffalo big-play, big receiver, Mack Hollins. He then also added a home-run-hitting wide receiver in the third round of the draft, in Kyle Williams.
To further spice up the offense, he drafted a potential take-it-to-the-house on every carry running back, TreVeyon Henderson with his second-round pick from the college champions, Ohio State. Vrabel rebuilt almost his entire offense, layering talent over talent where little existed in 2024.
Vrabel's additions, McDaniels' coaching, and Drake Maye are poised to present a dangerous Patriots' offense for the first time since 2019. The biggest beneficiary of all this will be Maye, and his teammates will benefit from his ability to throw pinpoint passes at any time from anywhere. Expect Maye's ranking to jump in 2026. He'll lead this Patriots offense and team to the 2025 playoffs.
