So far during his rookie season, Drake Maye has looked the part of a long-term franchise quarterback for the New England Patriots. After being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he has been a major success.
Maye has shown off legitimate star potential and has drawn a lot of praise from the national media.
In addition to his play on the field, which has been great, Maye has made strong impressions in other areas as well. His leadership, in particular, has been something that teammates have admired about him.
David Andrews, a teammate of Maye's and a captain for the team, spoke out with a bold take about the rookie signal caller. He even drew a comparison between Maye and Tom Brady.
"Tom didn’t get up there every day and tell us what we needed to do," Andrews said. "There’s very few times in my career that I remember Tom ever addressing the offense. But they were at critical moments, critical points. So for [Drake] to get up there and say his piece when he did, I think guys appreciate that, guys listen to that. Guys respect Drake a lot."
Andrews continued on, talking about how young players earn respect. Maye is clearly doing the right things.
"You gotta earn respect in this league," Andrews added. "You earn that by being a good player, No. 1, obviously. And then No. 2, how you carry yourself every day. He’s done a great job of that since he’s come in. So, that’s something he’ll grow into and learn and develop like every young player does."
Since Brady left town, the Patriots have been hoping to find another long-term quarterback. Mac Jones looked like he could be that guy, but things went downhill quickly.
While it's still Maye's first season, he has shown many of the things that star quarterbacks have to have.
During the 2024 NFL season thus far, Maye has completed 64.7 percent of his pass attempts for 954 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions. He has also chipped in 233 rushing yards and another touchdown.
Those numbers are a small sign of why New England has a very bright outlook. A teammate comparing him to Brady in any way is another sign of how highly he's viewed.
Hopefully, the Patriots will continue seeing Maye develop and improve throughout the rest of the season. He's given the franchise hope and is exactly what they needed to get back on track.
