Patriots’ Drake Maye Shares Relationship With QB Class

USC’s Caleb Williams heard his name called first, followed by LSU’s Jayden Daniels. With the third pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots turned in the card for Drake Maye out of North Carolina.

Later in the first round, JJ McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix were taken by their respective teams. It’s a group of six quarterbacks that will be compared to each other for their entire careers, and nearly a year and a half into their NFL tenures, Maye is leading the way among the best of the best.

Ahead of the Patriots’ matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, who have Penix Jr. under center, Maye was asked about his relationship with his fellow quarterbacks from his rookie class.

"I’ve got to know a lot of them really well,” Maye said at his weekly media availability. “I trained with Bo Nix, I trained with him for the draft. I stay in touch with him, he’s playing great. You know, Jayden’s had some injuries, but he’s played well when he’s been in there. I think I know them all pretty well."

"Got to know Mike from throughout the draft process and being at the Manning Camp and all different things. He spins the football, I like the way he throws it. He’s a southpaw, but it comes out of his hand great."

Maye Was the Third of Six First-Round Quarterbacks Last Year

So far, with Maye at quarterback, New England is 1-0 against those other second-year signal callers. Last season, Maye went into Soldier Field and knocked off Williams’ Chicago Bears in what was mostly a defensive slugfest. He also came out victorious against the Saints this season, beating second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler — he was taken in the fifth round.

This week’s matchup against the Falcons has the chance of being a high-flying game with two offenses that can score points at ease. The Patriots are third in the NFL with a +67 point differential at this point in the season.

Maye’s meteoric rise has been compared to what Daniels did in Washington last season, and what Williams is expected to do under new Bears head coach Ben Johnson. His talent wasn’t a surprise to anyone coming out of college, especially not for one of the coaches that ended up taking a quarterback.

Aug 8, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) hug after a game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

"No, he’s a very good football player," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said when asked if he was surprised by Maye’s success. "He’s doing a great job. He’s being well coached by Josh (McDaniels). They got it goin’ on and I like what they’re doing."

Vrabel agrees, saying his quarterback handles the responsibility of being the team’s leader, both on and off the field.

"He’s a pretty low-key guy, but you see him in the community," Vrabel said. "I think that whatever interest he has outside of football, he's helping the community and the kids. He was at the Halloween party (Tuesday) night; he's always involved in the Special Olympics. So again, I don't really monitor what he does a whole lot, but I know that he's a great representative of this organization."

Now Maye will look to improve to 2-0 against those QBs taken in the first round, and should the UNC alum win, he’d cross another name off the proverbial list of positional rivals he’s bound to face plenty of times in his career.

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