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As the New England Patriots turn the page to quarterback Bailey Zappe, the team could land a top-tier quarterback next spring in the NFL Draft.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler anticipates that the Patriots will take North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third pick in the draft. New England (2-9) holds that spot at the moment, and could finish in the spot as the teams in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots all have four wins apiece already.
“With their quarterback situation in shambles, the Patriots have a bottom-five offense,” Brugler wrote.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones hasn’t panned out amid 12 interceptions and the team’s 13.5 points per game. Zappe, who will start for Jones in Week 13, hasn’t shown much promise this season amid limited snaps late in games with four interceptions.
“In his 24 years as head coach in New England, Bill Belichick has never drafted in the top five, but this season is certainly trending in that direction,” Brugler wrote.
“That’s the bad news. The good news? This is a great draft for a quarterback-needy team to own an early pick,” Brugler continued. “Maye is a young player and not without his faults, but he has promising talent and more big-time throws on his tape than any other passer in this class.”
Drake Maye Can Throw and Run Well
Maye, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore, has 3,608 yards passing for 24 touchdowns versus nine interceptions. He completes 63.3% of his passes, and he has a 149.0 passer rating and a 79.0 quarterback rating.
If the throw isn’t there, Maye can make plays with his legs. He has 449 yards and nine touchdowns on 112 carries. That includes a four yards per carry average and a long of 56 yards this season.
His team’s season hasn’t gone as planned with an 8-4 mark for sixth in the ACC. However, the Tar Heels defense has been a culprit with giving up 30 or more points in their past six conference games.
Patriots Could Land Caleb Williams Instead
It wouldn’t be impossible for the Patriots to land USC’s Caleb Williams instead, but Brugler predicts that the Chicago Bears will take him at No. 1 in the draft. The Bears received that pick from the Carolina Panthers (1-9) in a trade.
That’s also presuming the Bears would move on from quarterback Justin Fields after just three seasons. Fields has been up-and-down this season with back-to-back four-touchdown games and just one or fewer scores in his other six games.
New England would also need the Arizona Cardinals (2-10), the like No. 2 pick holder, to pass on Williams. Similar to the Bears, the Cardinals could move on from quarterback Kyler Murray.
He has seen little action since 2021 due to an AC tear in 2022. Murray’s return to the field this season has been mediocre amid two touchdowns and two interceptions in four games.
Whether or not the Patriots land Williams or Maye, the team will need to build talent around the new quarterback. The Patriots need improvements at the offensive line, graded No. 22 by Pro Football Focus at the moment. Likewise, the Patriots will need to improve skill player talent amid 12 offensive touchdowns all season.
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