Drake Maye was one of the brightest stars of the recently completed NFL Draft. He was sought by the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, but the New England Patriots were unwilling to make a deal and they selected him with the No. 3 pick in the selection process.

Maye was one of six quarterbacks selected within the first 12 picks of the NFL Draft, and this year's event is likely to be remembered as the NFL's great quarterback draft. The 1983 Draft also saw six quarterbacks selected in the first round, and three of those quarterbacks eventually found their way Canton and the NFL Hall of Fame.

Those quarterbacks are John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, and it would be a tremendous achievement for the Draft Class of 2024 could match that achievement. In addition to Maye, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix were all selected with elite first-round picks.

Maye will eventually take command of the New England offense, but new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo will not have to rush him into the lineup. The Patriots signed veteran Jacoby Brissett to play quarterback as a free agent. He is likely to get the early assignments in the 2024 regular season unless Maye proves to be an extremely quick study during rookie camp, offseason training activities and training camp.

Patriots have struggled at the quarterback position since Tom Brady left Foxboro

The Patriots hope that the signing of Brissett and the selection of Maye will give the moribund New England a boost. However, the Patriots also added another quarterback in the draft when they selected Joe Milton of Tennessee.

Milton may not figure in the Patriots plans for the 2024 season and he may not be active in most games as long as Brissett and Maye stay healthy. However, Milton is coming off an excellent senior year with the Volunteers. He completed 229 of 354 passes for 2,813 yards with 20 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He also ran 78 times for 299 yards and scored 7 touchdowns. Milton has great size for the position at 6-5 and 244 pounds.

After Milton was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round, Maye sent out a message on X welcoming him to New England. “Joe cool! Congrats bro.”

The situation appears to be similar to the one Williams is going through in Chicago, as he has also sent out welcoming messages to his fellow rookies with the Bears.

Pats want Maye to step up and drive the offense

While it's clear that he wants to take on a leadership role in the New England locker room and welcome his teammates, the Patriots need Maye to show off his skills when he gets the opportunity to play.

The 6-5, 220 pound Drake Maye had a sharp season in his last year with the North Carolina Tar Heels. He completed 269 of 425 passes for 3,608 yards with 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. That followed the 2022 season when he threw for 4,321 yard with a 38-7 TD-interception ratio.