The New England Patriots appeared to be a team that was in control of the 2024 NFL Draft. It seemed clear that the Chicago Bears would select Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick and the Washington Commanders would take Jayden Daniels with the second pick. The Patriots were in position to draft North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye or trade the pick to another team that needed an elite quarterback like the Minnesota Vikings or New York Giants. Instead the Patriots held on to the pick and selected Maye to be their quarterback of the future. However, former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says Maye will have to work on a key flaw before he can be a top signal caller.

Belichick pointed out that Maye will have a lot of work to do in order to reach his potential.  “His footwork needs a lot of work,” Belichick said in a breakdown with Pat McAfee. “You can see here he's all over the place, never really sets his feet, never really gets into position to throw. He gets strip-sacked. Too much hopping around. Step up and throw!”

Belichick made his pronouncement before the Patriots made Maye the No. 3 pick in the draft. New England's current head coach Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf, the team's director of scouting, clearly believe that Maye will eventually become an elite quarterback and leader in the NFL.

Maye will have a chance to compete for the starting job with Patriots

New England will have a much different approach now that Belichick is no longer associated with the team. They parted company with former quarterback Mac Jones, and they have brought in veteran Jacoby Brissett to take over the quarterback position.

Brissett is an eight-year NFL veteran and he started his career in 2016 with the Patriots. He spent the next four years with the Indianapolis Colts before moving on to the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders in the last three years.

Brissett will be penciled in as the starter for the Patriots because he knows the NFL so well, stays calm under pressure, has a reasonably strong arm and understands the requirements of the position. However, if Maye can make a quick adjustment and performs well in rookie camp and then in training camp, he will have a chance to win the job.

Maye is coming off a pair of excellent seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels. He completed 269 of 425 passes for 3,608 yard with 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He burst on to the scene in the 2022 season when he completed 342 of 517 passes for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Maye has also been an excellent runner, demonstrating his athleticism with 449 yards and 9 touchdowns last season after rushing for 698 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2022.

The Patriots had opportunities to trade the pick, but in the end they did not get the offer they needed to see and stuck with Maye. The hope is that he will be a star quarterback in the years to come even if their former coach sees a flaw in his delivery.