Former NFL WR thinks Patriots HC may regret Drake Maye pick

After unparalleled success for two decades, the New England Patriots have certainly fallen back down to Earth. And now, just like a large chunk of the NFL, they’re on the hunt for a franchise quarterback. 

Mac Jones didn’t work out, so they used the third pick in this year's draft to grab Drake Maye. But, are they already second-guessing this decision?

While it’s still extremely early, there are some signs that the Patriots aren’t exactly thrilled with what they are seeing from their signal caller. After his first day of rookie minicamp, new head coach Jarod Mayo said Maye "has a lot to work on.” (Conversely, the Bears immediately made No. 1 pick Caleb Williams their starting QB and raved about his understanding of the game and his fundamentals).

Even though it’s not uncommon for even high draft picks to have a learning curve once they get to the NFL, a former star wide receiver thinks the Patriots may be having some buyer’s remorse with Maye. On The Carton Show, Plaxico Burress said this about Mayo’s assessment:

“That doesn’t sound good to me. Basically what you’re saying is that we might have drafted the wrong guy… He may not be as good as we thought he was…You’re talking about 3,600 yards and 26 starts in college and you draft him with the third pick and you ask him to be the savior of this team? Good luck.”

Burress isn’t the only one raising concern about Maye. During "The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular,” former Patriots coach Bill Belichick called Maye a “very talented kid” before highlighting his negatives: "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.”

Belichick is also skeptical about Maye comparing himself to Josh Allen. “We'll see about that," he said. "There are some similarities in terms of size, but Josh Allen is a special player.”

The Patriots seem to believe that with more practice time, Maye will be able to overcome his deficiencies. But, if he has a rocky season, or doesn’t even play because he’s not ready, it’s not going to take long for fans to start grumbling. And if the quarterbacks the team could have drafted shine right away, a big “what if” will hang over this franchise for years to come.