Bill Belichick was pretty critical of Drake Maye after Patriots drafted quarterback third overall

FOXBORO -- In his new role as an NFL Draft analyst, Bill Belichick wasted no time critiquing his old team's new quarterback. The former Patriots head coach had a lot to say after the Patriots drafted Drake Maye third overall, and not a lot of it was positive.

The 2024 NFL Draft (check out a full Round 1 recap here) was the first time in 24 years that Belichick wasn't in the war room for the New England Patriots (minus that one time he was at his dinning room table in Nantucket). Instead, he was giving his thoughts on picks throughout the night on "The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular" on ESPN+. 

He didn't have to wait long to offer up his take on New England drafting Maye. Belichick said that quarterback was certainly a top need for the Patriots -- along with tackle and wide receiver -- and that Maye is a "very talented kid" with good size and a good arm. He also said that Maye can run well, but that he does it too often.

Belichick also sounds concerned about Maye's lack of experience, after just two full seasons (and a redshirt freshman year) at North Carolina. 

"He hasn't played very much. He really doesn't have a lot of experience. He's going to need some work in reading defenses, reading coverages," said Belichick. "He's kind of quick to bail out of the pocket. He's going to need to hang in there a little bit longer and find those receivers."

While many are sold on Maye's upside and what he could become in the NFL, Belichick doesn't sound very convinced.

"Drake compares himself a lot of Josh Allen -- we'll see about that," said Belichick. "There are some similarities in terms of size, but Josh Allen is a special player.

"This is a kid that can make all the throws, he just needs to be more consistent," Belichick added.

Belichick was also critical of Maye's footwork in the pre-draft portion of the show, which was one of the concerns scouts and pundits voiced leading up to the draft.

Maye certainly has some work to do in order to succeed at the NFL level. But the Patriots sound confident that he'll put in the work to become the best quarterback that he can be, and they'll do everything they can to make sure he is in a spot to succeed.

"Drake's a relentless worker from all the indications that we have, and he's going to be able to overcome some of the things in areas that he needs to improve," said Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf.