Drake Maye and biggest Patriots stars just got disrespected in new NFL rankings

Whether you believe in star power or the "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" motto, there's no doubt the Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, and TreVeyon Henderson trio possesses a ton of talent and presents some serious matchup problems for opposing defenses.

Yet, somehow, the Patriots seemingly have a less imposing set of triplets than several teams that simply can't contend with what Maye, Brown, and Henderson bring to the table.

In a Sports Illustrated piece published on June 4, New England's three-headed tandem finished 13th in a ranking of the league's best offensive triplets.

Here's their rationale:

"The acquisition of Brown changed the entire tenor of the Patriots’ attack. Instead of having to play the long game with Romeo Doubs and Hunter Henry, New England can be more explosive with Brown on the outside, and Henderson in the backfield. Between them, the pairing created 20 explosive plays (runs of 10-plus yards, receptions of 20-plus yards) last season. This should give Maye, coming off a second-team All-Pro year with 31 touchdown passes, some easy buttons to push in the offense."

Drake Maye and A.J. Brown got snubbed in Sports Illustrated's latest rankings

Considering Maye finished second in MVP voting in just his second NFL season, that already seems like a major stretch. After all, no position is more valuable than quarterback, and perhaps no player in recent memory made a bigger year-two leap than the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

So, purely based on "star power" under center, the No. 12 finish already looks questionable.

Then we move on to Brown.

The three-time Pro Bowler has 8,029 receiving yards and 56 touchdowns on his resume—plus a Super Bowl ring. He earned second-team All-Pro honors in three consecutive seasons (2022-24), and arrives in New England coming off a "down" year in which he posted a 78/1,003/7 stat line.

Even if Brown falls outside your top-10 wide receiver rankings, it can't be by much. The fact that the Philadelphia Eagles fetched a first-round pick (albeit in 2028) for him shows how much he's respected—at least by the Patriots. Now that he's in an offense that's better suited to his skill set, would anyone be surprised if Brown bounces back in a big way in 2026?

After all, Maye (with Josh McDaniels' help, of course) coaxed a 1,000-yard season out of a 32-year-old Stefon Diggs coming off a torn ACL.

Brown turns 29 at the end of June and doesn't come with that type of injury history. And considering the Patriots surrendered a future first-rounder for his services, you can best believe he'll be more motivated than ever. To me, that puts him squarely in the top-12 range among the league's wideouts.

The rest of league should realize they shouldn't sleep on TreVeyon Henderson

Finally, we come to Henderson.

Is he close to a top-10 player at his position right now?

Not even the most loyal Patriot fan would make that argument.

However, he possesses big-time upside as a do-it-all type of weapon in McDaniels' versatile scheme. Henderson nearly ran for 1,000 yards as a rookie despite splitting duties with veteran Rhamondre Stevenson. Plus, he showed promise as a pass-catcher, totaling 35 catches for 221 yards.

Obviously, Henderson has a long way to go until he's in the conversation for a top-10 player at his position, but he certainly showed enough potential in year one (he finished third in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting) to think he could grow into a star.

Buccaneers, Bears, and Chargers don't belong in front of the Patriots

With all of that factored in, it makes even less sense how the Patriots finished behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, and the Los Angeles Chargers.

First, Tampa's triplets include Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, and Emeka Egbuka. Mayfield may have resurrected his career after a horrific start in Cleveland, but he went from a legitimate MVP candidate in 2024 to finishing 12th in QBR a year ago (Maye finished first, by the way).

Irving only played 10 games last season due to injury, and while Egbuka looks like the real deal, he's closer to even with Brown than anything.

Then we get to the Bears.

Whether you fell in love with Caleb Williams' heroics or not, there's no doubt he's got a ton of physical tools. However, there's also no doubt he's nowhere near Maye from a consistency standpoint.

Meanwhile, Chicago's triplets also include running back Kyle Monangai and tight end Colston Loveland. Here's what Sports Illustrated said about the trio:

"The Bears could have the league’s top offense in one of the next few years. Williams is trying to become the first Bears quarterback to ever throw for 4,000 yards in a season, and he should do it. Loveland is a spectacular weapon, notching 58 catches for 713 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie in 2025. Monangai was another first-year breakout in Chicago with 783 rushing yards and five scores, despite only having double-digit carries in seven games. The best should be ahead for all three."

Henderson outperformed Monangai as a rookie, so at best it's a wash between those two. Brown and Loveland play different positions, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. However, you'd expect the Patriots to target their top offseason acquisition even more than the Bears can turn to Loveland, who is absolutely a rising star at tight end.

Still, to put Williams and two second-year players ahead of Maye, Brown, and Henderson is too rich for my liking.

Finally, when are we going to stop buying the Chargers hype?

Justin Herbert has looked like an MVP at times during his career, but he hasn't come close to putting up the numbers he did in his first two seasons. If anything, what Maye did in 2025 was what Chargers fans have hoped to see from Herbert since he looked like the next big thing after his second year in the league.

And when you read the rationale behind the Chargers' triplets, it's easy to poke holes in their ranking.

"This is more based on projection than reality to this point. McConkey was great as a rookie, with 89 catches for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns before just 66 receptions, 789 yards and six scores last year. Hampton was a first-round rookie who missed eight games, but still finished with 545 rushing yards. Then there’s Herbert, who, despite being sacked 54 times, managed to throw for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns. With the return of star tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, he should only improve."

Once again, Henderson outperformed a fellow rookie running back ranked ahead of him. And McConkey's year-two performance would easily be the worst season of Brown's career. Banking on potential from a team that notoriously disappoints isn't a great strategy, especially when the Patriots look primed to improve on offense in 2026.

New England's triplets may not have received a ton of respect in these rankings, but if all goes according to plan, the Maye-Brown-Henderson trio should finish much higher a year from now.

And ultimately, what matters most is where they finish in the AFC.

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