It is a golden era for young talent in the NFL, with unheard of amounts of it all around the league. The New England Patriots are lucky to be among the teams with that kind of talent, going into their third season with Drake Maye at quarterback. That, of course, has led to plenty of debate about where Maye stands overall.
Ahead of the 2026 season, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report shared an interesting type of player rating. That’s the franchise players who you would most want to build around. It’s a distinction that is a little bit different from a ranking of the best individual players right now, but it remains a major honor to be at the top of the list, like Maye finds himself.
Gagnon wanted younger players. 28 years old or younger, to be specific. He also noted that these are player who you’d most want to build around moving forward, regardless of their current teammates.
Of course, quarterbacks do dominate this list. However, they’re not the only position being judged by it.
New England Patriots QB Drake Maye Named Top Franchise Player to Build Around
GettyNew England Patriots QB Drake Maye
In the end, Brad Gagnon and Bleacher Report landed on Drake Maye as the top franchise player to build a roster around. That was just ahead of Jayden Daniels, who was drafted one spot ahead of Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft, and it was two spots ahead of Jalen Hurts, who has won a Super Bowl.
“This is really a no-doubter considering that Maye led the NFL in completion percentage, passer rating, QBR and yards per attempt during a near-MVP sophomore campaign for the surprise AFC champion Patriots,” Gagnon wrote.
“The schedule was soft, but the 23-year-old blew away expectations in building on a promising rookie campaign. He’s already an elite weapon down the field as well as with his legs, and now he’s got plenty of big-game experience entering Year 3. The future is wildly bright.”
This comes following a season where Maye took off, with 4,394 yards and 31 touchdown passes. In the process, he became the runner-up for the MVP and led the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance.
Still very young, the Patriots did actively work to build around Maye this offseason. That included bringing in wide receivers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, as well as drafting offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round. So, it’s clear New England has big plans for the future on offense.
Drake Maye Snubbed at the 2026 ESPYs
GettyNew England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye
Drake Maye was representing the Patriots at the 2026 ESPYs, where he was nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete. However, he wouldn’t manage to leave with the award.
Taking the award from Maye was Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu.
Liu, of course, is also an excellent choice for the award. She broke out at the Winter Olympics, winning two gold medals. Seeing as Maye fell short of his Super Bowl, it might make some sense that the award went to Liu instead.
Of course, figure skating and football are wildly different sports. It’s hard to judge one performance to another across sports like that. So, Maye will have to be content with the knowledge that he was nominated, and that’s an honor in its own right.
Patriots QB Drake Maye Garners Major Honor Ahead of 2026 Season