Drake Maye’s rise has been fast enough to change the conversation around New England, and ESPN’s latest quarterback rankings show just how far he’s come. After a season that turned the Patriots from a team with questions into one that reached the Super Bowl, Maye landed at No. 8 in the poll of NFL executives, coaches and scouts, according to Jeremy Fowler.
That puts the 23-year-old ahead of Jared Goff and Caleb Williams, but still behind Justin Herbert and Dak Prescott. He’s clearly knocking on the door, even if the league isn’t ready to put him in the same tier as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson just yet.
Maye’s regular season gave voters plenty to like. He completed an NFL-best 72 percent of his passes for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns, and he looked sharp in play action, held up well against the blitz and emerged as one of the game’s best deep passers. He also helped end the Buffalo Bills’ five-year run atop the AFC East and pushed New England all the way to a memorable Super Bowl appearance.
The playoff finish, though, left some room for caution. Maye’s postseason numbers dipped to a 58.3 completion percentage and a 40.0 QBR, and the rough stretch ended with an SB 60 drubbing. That’s the kind of ending that keeps him out of the very top of these rankings for now.
Still, the path is obvious. With questions around Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and the importance of No. 10’s leadership and production only growing, Maye’s next step matters even more. If he can turn the lessons from winter into a stronger year and build chemistry with new star wide receiver AJ Brown, he could push himself into the top five of the 2027 rankings.
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Queens value has been questioned because of what happened in coverage, where he gave up a 114 passer rating and four touchdowns while still piling up 129 tackles and six tackles for loss. Add in the fact that he is set to earn $13.3 million this fall, and New England would have to decide whether the name recognition and age are worth the risk of betting on a bounce-back under a new coaching staff. [Read more 🡒]