CBS Sports’ latest Top 100 NFL players list is already stirring debate, and the biggest flashpoint is Drake Maye. Pete Prisco placed the Patriots quarterback at No. 61, a spot that looks wildly out of step with what Maye just did in his second season.
Maye finished second in MVP voting and led New England to the Super Bowl, yet he landed behind a cluster of stars he was directly competing with in the league’s most important conversation. Myles Garrett topped the list, while Matthew Stafford came in at No. 2 and Josh Allen at No.
- That’s where the ranking starts to feel off, because Maye was right there in the MVP race with Stafford and finished ahead of Allen in the AFC East picture.
The numbers from the MVP race tell the story. Stafford threw for 46 touchdowns and 4,707 yards, while Maye posted 31 touchdowns and 4,394 yards. But Maye was sharper in completion percentage, beating Stafford 72-65, and he also finished ahead in passer rating, 113.5 to 109.2.
Prisco explained the placement this way: “He finished second in MVP voting in his second season, leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl. He threw 31 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions, but he didn't play well in the postseason."
That explanation leaves out some important context. Maye was playing behind an offensive line that gave up 47 regular-season sacks and another 21 in the postseason.
Stafford, by comparison, was sacked 23 times in the regular season, less than half of Maye’s total. Stafford also had a stronger group of receivers, headlined by First-Team All-Pro Puka Nacua.
The postseason critique also doesn’t tell the full story, since Maye was dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder. Even with that, he still guided a patched-together Patriots offense and a shaky line all the way to the Super Bowl, something Stafford, Allen, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes did not do last season despite all ranking in the top 10.
That’s the core of the argument here: the support around Maye mattered, and it should have mattered more in the ranking. When one quarterback is carrying a porous line and a makeshift offense to the Super Bowl, while others are working with better infrastructure, the gap shouldn’t be this wide.
By that standard, No. 61 looks far too low for Maye. If he’s not in the top 10, the case against him gets shaky fast. And if nothing else, this kind of ranking gives the Patriots plenty of bulletin board material heading into 2026.
In Other News...
Patriots Fans Can Finally Exhale About One Draft Decision
The Patriots entered the 2026 draft cycle with a little more flexibility at wide receiver than theyve had in recent years, thanks to the trade for A.J. Brown and a group that also includes Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins. Even so, they were still being linked to several of the top receiver prospects, including KC Concepcion, whose playmaking ability and potential value as a return option made him an interesting name for New Englands board.
Concepcions fit was never just about adding another target, though, and that is part of why Patriots fans could breathe a bit easier once the draft unfolded. New England already has Marcus Jones handling punt returns, so the urgency to chase a receiver for that specific dual-purpose role was never as pronounced as it might have seemed on paper. And with the team addressing other needs elsewhere, the pressure around that particular draft decision faded quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Keep Getting Linked To One Veteran Pass Rush Fix
The Patriots keep surfacing in the same pass-rush conversation as the preseason moves closer, and it is not hard to see why. New Englands defensive front still needs help, and the connection between Mike Vrabel and familiar edge options has kept the speculation alive even without any official movement from the team.
What makes the chatter linger is that the need is not abstract. New England is trying to stabilize a group that has dealt with offseason turnover and injury uncertainty, and adding a veteran like Jadeveon Clowney would immediately change the shape of that discussion. For now, though, it remains exactly that, a discussion, with no sign yet that the Patriots are ready to turn the rumor into something real. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots May Have One More Tackle Move To Make
The Patriots have kept busy reworking the tackle group, and the position still feels like one of the more fluid parts of the roster. Caleb Lomu, Dametrious Crownover, James Hudson III, Will Campbell and Morgan Moses are all in the mix in some form, but the future roles for several of them are still not settled, which leaves room for another move if New England wants more clarity up front.
One option hanging out there is the kind of trade that makes sense for both sides, especially if the Patriots want to add another big, developmental piece without paying full price. The Browns have a tackle with uncommon size, but his availability has been shaped by injuries and a limited NFL track record, and a deal built around Marcus Bryant and a late-round pick has been floated as the sort of return that could get Cleveland to listen. [Read more 🡒]