The New England Patriots have found their quarterback, and that's now abundantly clear. Nonetheless, Jayden Daniels' Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign last season was something spectacular: he totaled 31 total touchdowns to just 9 interceptions to go along with over 3,500 yards through the air, with nearly 900 more coming on the ground. This all came with a 69% completion rate.
Drake Maye's rookie year had its ups and downs. He finished with 17 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and without a doubt, the offense was better with him at the helm. Caleb Williams and the Daniels above were not options for the Patriots at No. 3 overall, but they did have their choice of the other four quarterbacks that wound up being first-round selections.
Aside from Maye, Michael Penix was selected at No. 8, J.J. McCarthy at No. 10, and Bo Nix was picked by the Broncos two picks later. Penix and Nix were not serious considerations with the third pick, though Nix had a ROTY push of his own, totalling 34 touchdowns. The tenth pick, McCarthy, did seem to be in the mix for the Patriots' next signal caller, according to the media.
It would have been a huge mistake if the Patriots had drafted JJ McCarthy over Drake Maye last year
Maye had his fair share of turnovers last season, while McCarthy was injured for the entirety of 2024. The hype around the Michigan product was somewhat warranted: The Vikings were one of the league's best teams in the regular season last year with journeyman Sam Darnold at the helm, and Darnold's success was unforeseen.
Inserting a National Champion and first-round quarterback into Kevin O'Connell's offense seemed sure to pay dividends.
The hype was so high that Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston even suggested the Patriots would select McCarthy in a re-draft of the 2024 class before the season started, and before McCarthy had even one career game under his belt.
Re-sharing this for absolutely no reason at all https://t.co/LcMqCmplx5
— Robert Alvarez (@ralvarez617) November 16, 2025
Fast forward to Week 12, and there's little down Curran is regretting that take now. McCarthy has looked completely out of his element: in his five games played, he's thrown less than 160 yards four times.
He has eight total touchdowns to 10 total turnovers, and his sub-53% completion rate shows his inaccuracy. He's had a completion rate of over 57% just once, and when asked to throw the ball more than 25 times in a game this season, he's had completion rates of 47.6% and 50%, his two lowest of the season. He also has a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio in those games.
Veteran Carson Wentz played an equal number of games as McCarthy, and had a better completion rate, more yards, the same number of passing touchdowns, and fewer interceptions. While McCarthy's support system of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Mason, and the fifth-most-expensive offensive line in the NFL hasn't been enough, Maye has had far less to work with.
Stefon Diggs was coming off an ACL tear from last season, Mack Hollins had eclipsed 400 yards once in eight years, and Kayshon Boutte had 608 career receiving yards.
Going into the year, Maye didn't have much to work with, but he has made his receivers better, without a doubt, despite a non-existent run game and an offensive line allowing the sixth-most sacks per game in the NFL.
Not only is Maye a better player than McCarthy, but he might be the best quarterback in the league, leading the MVP race through eleven games.