Who is Drake Maye, the New England Patriots' new quarterback and first round draft pick?

FOXBORO -- The Patriots are hoping that they have their new franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, whom they drafted third overall Thursday night at the 2024 NFL Draft. 

The Patriots' brass had an inkling that this is how the draft board would play out in Round 1, with Caleb Williams going to the Bears first overall and Jayden Daniels to the Commanders at No. 2. They got to know quite a bit about Maye over the last several weeks, and will now do everything they can to develop him into an NFL starting quarterback.

But Patriots fans may not know all there is to know about Drake Maye. Here's what you need to know about the potential new quarterback of the New England Patriots.

Drake Maye's measurables

Maye is a big fella, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 230 pounds. 

His arms measured in at 32.25 inches, his hands at 9 inches, and his wingspan was at just over 6-foot-4 at the NFL Combine.

At 21 years old, Maye was the youngest of the top three quarterbacks taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Drake Maye will stick with No. 10 in New England

Maye revealed at his introduction at Gillette Stadium on Friday that he'll wear the No. 10 jersey with the Patriots.

"As long as it ain't 12; [can't] fill those shoes," Maye joked of Tom Brady's number in New England. "But I'm gonna stay with 10. It's the number that I wore in high school and college, so just keep it the same."

That's good news for Patriots fans that may have invested in a Mac Jones No. 10 jersey. With a little crafting or sewing, that can become a new Drake Maye jersey.

Drake Maye has been a North Carolina guy his entire life

Maye was born in Huntersville, North Carolina on August 30, 2002. He attended William A. Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina before transferring after his freshman year to Myers Park High School in Charlotte. He played both football and basketball at Myers Park, and was the 2019 Male Athlete of the Year in the Charlotte Observer and an Under Armour All-American in 2020. 

Drake Maye initially committed to Alabama

Maye could have gotten out of North Carolina a few years ago when he committed to play under Nick Saban at Alabama. But home is where the heart is, and Maye changed his mind and went to UNC instead. 

Drake Maye had an incredible freshman year at UNC

After redshirting his freshman year in 2021, Maye started all 14 games for the Tar Heels in 2022. He completed 66.2 percent of his passes (going 342-for-517) for a school record 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also led North Carolina with 698 rushing yards, and ran for seven additional touchdowns.

Those big numbers earned Maye ACC Player of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year. He is just the second player to sweep all four awards in the ACC, joining Jameis Winston.

Drake Maye's first career start was one for the ages

Maye made his first career start in 2022 against Florida A&M, and went out and threw for five touchdowns in the 56-24 victory. He is the first UNC quarterback to throw five touchdowns in his debut as a starter.

Drake Maye led UNC to the Holiday Bowl in his first season as a starter

With Maye putting up those big numbers, the Tar Heels went 9-5 overall and 6-2 in ACC action in 2022. They lost to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, 39-10, but were invited to the Holiday Bowl against Oregon.

Maye completed 18 of his 35 passes in that game for 206 yards and three touchdowns, including a 49-yard touchdown to Kobe Paysour, but UNC lost, 28-27. 

Drake Maye took a bit of a step back in 2023

Maye's numbers took a big dip in 2023 after he lost his top receiver, Josh Downs, to the NFL. He completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while running for 449 yards and nine scores. Those numbers still earned him second-team All-ACC honors, but UNC went just 8-5 and 4-4 in ACC play.

Drake Maye took home a lot of awards in his short time at UNC

Maye probably would have liked to have won more games, but he took home a lot of hardware at Chapel Hill. 

•      Second-Team All-ACC (2023)
•      Second-Team AP All-ACC (2023)
•      Manning Award Finalist (2023)
•      All-ACC Academic Team (2023)
•      PFF Third-Team All-American (2022)
•      ACC Player of the Year (2022)
•      ACC Offensive Player of the Year (2022)
•      First-Team All-ACC (2022)
•      ACC Rookie of the Year (2022)
•      ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year (2022)
•      Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year (2022)
•      FWAA Freshman of the Year (2022)
•      FWAA Freshman All-American (2022)
•      Manning Award Finalist (2022)
•      Walter Camp National Player of the Year Semifinalist (2022)
•      Maxwell Award Semifinalist (2022)
•      Davey O'Brien Award Semifinalist (2022)

Maye also ranks fifth in UNC history in passing yards with 8,018 and fourth in passing touchdowns with 63.

Drake Maye's NFL comps

Maye's NFL comparisons were everywhere. We heard the good, like Justin Herbert, and the bad like Mitchell Trubisky.

One we heard a lot of was Josh Allen, which should have Patriots fans salivating. Just don't go out expecting him to play like Josh Allen right away.

Maybe there's a little Mahomes in Maye's game too

There will likely never be another Patrick Mahomes, but Maye can also go ambidextrous once in a while.

Again, there will never be another Mahomes, so maybe Maye should give it a few years before trying any lefty throws in the NFL.

Will Maye start for the Patriots as a rookie?

Maye-be? But probably not. He's got a truckload of upside but also needs a lot of work, with most pundits focusing on his footwork.

Pats head coach Jerod Mayo also said Thursday night that it'll be an open competition all spring and training camp between Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett, and may the best man win.

"We're not sitting here saying Drake is our starting quarterback. I think he understands that," Mayo told reporters. "He understands the things that he has to get better at with coaching and once again the hard work and the coaches that we have, the support system from ownership. He has a chance to go out there and really play at a high level. You can talk about potential all you want to, but until you reach it, it really doesn't matter. But we do know the man is a hard worker and he's going to do everything he can to be successful."

Drake Maye comes from a family of athletes

Maye has some pretty athletic genes, coming from a family of athletes. 

Maye's father, Mark, was also a quarterback at UNC in the 1980s and then had a short stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His grandfather, Jerry, was an accomplished pitcher at Catawba College in North Carolina and holds several school records, and spent time in the Minnesota Twins organization.

Maye is the youngest of four brothers, and all of them enjoyed success on the field or on the hardwood. His brothers Luke and Beau both played hoop for the Tar Heels, with Luke helping UNC win a NCAA Championship in 2017. The other brother, Cole, pitched for the Florida Gators baseball team that also won an NCAA Championship in 2017. 

Maye referred to his older brothers as his "best friends" on Thursday night and was pumped that they all were at the draft to share this moment with him.