Getty Images Drake Maye
Former 14-year NFL quarterback and three-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck sees shades of a former offensive rookie of the year in the newly-drafted New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
Selected as the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Maye impressed scouts and fans alike with his standout performance at North Carolina.
The rookie quarterback boasts a rare blend of athleticism and arm talent. He can make precise throws from the pocket and on the move. Coupled with his exceptional football IQ, Maye’s physical gifts suggest he has the potential to make an immediate impact in the NFL.
Hasselbeck sees a comparison to a big-time NFL quarterback when evaluating Maye.
“To me, he’s a lot like Justin Herbert. So, if you like Justin Herbert, I think you’ll like Drake Maye. And I really like Justin Herbert,” Hasselbeck told ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
I think about this Justin Herbert throw often
“I think his best football is ahead of him. I love his personality. I love his demeanor. I love his toughness. I love his athleticism. Athleticism can get you in trouble sometimes, and it doesn’t always translate from college to the NFL, but I think his athleticism does. I think, more than anything, I think I really like the person. He has a contagious thing about him.”
Not the 1st Time Drake Maye Has Been Compared to Justin Herbert
Like Herbert, Maye will be one of the bigger quarterbacks in the NFL at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, and it’s not the first time Maye has been compared to Herbert.
“I think he has a Justin Herbert, Josh Allen type of ceiling,” ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid said on “Get Up.”
.@Jordan_Reid believes Drake Maye is the second-best QB in the NFL draft 👀
“I think he has a Justin Herbert, Josh Allen type of ceiling.”
Herbert, drafted No. 6 overall in 2020, won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors that season and followed it up in 2021 with 5,014 passing yards and 38 touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl selection.
Comps aside, Maye’s impressive college resume speaks for itself. At North Carolina, Maye earned two All-ACC team honors and was named the conference’s Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. During his standout 2022 season, he started all 14 games for the Tar Heels, throwing for 4,321 yards with a completion rate of 66.2% (342 of 517 attempts).
Maye recorded 38 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions, achieving a remarkable 157.9 passer rating. Additionally, he demonstrated versatility by rushing for 698 yards on 184 attempts, adding 7 touchdowns on the ground.
His dual-threat capabilities and impressive stats highlight his potential to excel at the next level. And Patriots fans are hoping the game translates to the NFL.
ESPN Lists Statistical Comps For Rookie QB Class
Before the 2024 NFL draft, ESPN NFL writer Bill Connelly created a list of comps for the 2024 quarterback draft class, using data and analytics to pair each quarterback in the class with a prospect comp and an established NFL quarterback comp.
When you take out the physical attributes and eye test, Maye was not compared to Herbert using strictly stats and data. Maye’s comps, specifically his best prospect comps, are interesting and perhaps worrisome.
Connelly wrote that from a purely statistical standpoint as a prospect coming out of college, Maye compares best with current Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning and former Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.
Jake Browning would not be denied
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Ta’amu went undrafted in the 2019 draft and was signed and released by the Texans before joining the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL. He has had stints in the NFL with the Chiefs, Lions, Commanders, Vikings, and Panthers. He is currently the quarterback for the D.C. Defenders of the UFL. Connelly explained the interesting comparison.
“As a prospect, he (Maye) obviously grades out better than both of these players — he is far more athletic than Browning, and Ta’amu was far more of a statue in the pocket — but from a purely statistical standpoint, these are the guys who most closely match Maye’s combination of efficiency, pressure avoidance and zone over man preferences,” Connelly wrote.
“This is discouraging in one way — if you’re drafting a guy with a top-five pick, you’d like a higher ceiling than this. However, Browning was successful filling in for Joe Burrow with the Bengals in 2023, and Ta’amu has seen success in both the XFL and USFL. If Maye is a much more high-ceilinged version of that QB profile, there are worse comps in the world.”
The statistical comps for Maye’s established pro-comps might be less perplexing for Patriot fans. Connelly listed Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“That’s what you get when you filter for (a) a scramble rate of 7% or higher, (b) a pressure rate of 25% or higher, (c) a completion rate of 60% or higher, (d) 11.5 yards per completion or higher and (e) a better QBR against zone than man. If “Browning and Ta’amu” threw you off the scent, I’d say “Wilson and Hurts” should put you right back on it,” wrote Connelly.