PFF Stacks Up Patriots' Drake Maye Against NFL in Latest QB Rankings

Where does the New England Patriots' rookie stand amongst the league's quarterbacks?

May 11, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws a pass at / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

As we draw closer to the 2024 NFL season, we're beginning to see a few outlets throw out their rankings for how the league's quarterbacks stand amid a fresh year. This time, it's , who's put together the newest list, logging their judgment of the NFL's 32 starters.

The top of the list is pretty standard, headlined by Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson, and former Comeback Player of the Year/Pro Bowler Joe Burrow, but things get interesting when landing on the New England Patriots.

When getting to New England, PFF ranked the rookie Drake Maye as the 26th-best QB in the NFL.

The placement effectively puts Maye ahead of six others: Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy, Gardner Minshew, Daniel Jones, Will Levis, and Jayden Daniels. While 26th isn't the highest by any metric, PFF provided a bit of optimism if he ends up securing the starting nod:

"Maye is the unknown as a rookie. He did have the most big-time throws in college football over the past two years, which raises the ceiling of this group. If he is the starter, you can expect some gunslinger ups and downs."

Taking a step back to look at the list, Maye is in a sixth-ranked tier labeled "The Next Generation," where only Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson are ranked above him. Considering both have some time on the field in the NFL, also holding a similar high ceiling to Maye entering their drafts, you can see how they got the edge.

Maye does have a bit of inexperience under center, only having 21 starts while at North Carolina, which adds a bit of uncertainty to his outlook in the league early on. But, he's 6-foot-4 with a big-time arm, also possessing the athleticism to extend this Patriots offense as a playmaker himself. With the right tools to grow in this offense, he has the explosive upside to quickly become one of the best QBs in the NFL.

Don't expect Maye to sit this low on the rankings for long. We could see the rookie end up sitting early on in favor of Jacoby Brissett to ease him into his year one (which may be the wise decision for the sake of development), but once he's officially handed the keys to this Patriots squad, expect big things.

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