The New England Patriots drafted Drake Maye with the third-overall pick in the 2024 draft. It was arguably their only good acquisition of that offseason, but it was a tremendous one. Maye was a Pro Bowler in his first two seasons and made second-team All-Pro in 2025. Maye's trajectory is soaring upward, and his only limiting factors are injury and his accompanying cast.
Maye has recently been named one of "the 100 most important players" in the NFL by CBS Sports' Zachary Pereles, and he ranks second, right behind MVP Matthew Stafford, among the 17 quarterbacks on contending teams.
"Maye leaped to stardom in 2025, leading the NFL in completion percentage (72%) and yards per attempt (8.9). He's a big-game hunter downfield, and he has the strength and athleticism to make things happen out of structure, not unlike the player he dethroned in the AFC East, Josh Allen. Maye's next step is limiting negative plays, especially after a sack-filled postseason."
While that's no surprise, given that he and Stafford were neck-and-neck in the 2025 MVP race, he's now clearly recognized as one of the NFL's premier quarterbacks. That designation brings significant pressure, but the precocious 23-year-old is well-qualified to handle it and excel.
Drake Maye is the NFL's best passer and an MVP in waiting
There's little doubt that Drake Maye was the 2025 MVP. He did more with less than the winner, Stafford, and, aside from touchdown passes, his passing stats were better than Stafford's.
But 2026 is a new season, and the Patriots have sought to give Maye enhanced opportunities to surpass his 2025 season. First and foremost, they added ace No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown.
The Patriots' top 2025 pass catcher was Stefon Diggs, who had a solid season. But Brown is bigger, stronger, and better. He's an almost guaranteed 1,000-yard receiver and more. In six of his seven NFL seasons, he gained more than 1,000 yards, and in the only season he didn't, he played just 13 games. He's a bona fide NFL star, and if Maye gets clean pockets, the combination will be lethal.
The Patriots also upgraded their No. 2 receiver spot by signing free agent Romeo Doubs. He's more productive than 2025's No. 2, Kayshon Boutte, and is due for a breakout season with Maye throwing him the rock.
Those two receivers, along with others who'll return, will form one of the NFL's deepest and possibly best receiving corps. The only other impediment to a great season is the offensive line.
The Patriots addressed the O-line, but maybe not enough. Their big free-agent signing was guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. He's a top guard when healthy, but has been injury-prone over his five-year career. He didn't play a snap in 2025 and was a risky signing.
One thing a team with a top-5 NFL quarterback should never do is take risks on the offensive line. Vera-Tucker is a major injury risk.
To compensate, the Patriots traded up in the draft to secure the last remaining top offensive tackle, a position of significant need, when they drafted Utah's Caleb Lomu in the first round. It was an optimal selection. Lomu played left tackle for the Utes and did not allow a sack in 2025. If Will Campbell is injured again or falters, Lomu can and will step right into the left tackle void.
In addition, Lomu will be the first off the bench at right tackle to spell 35-year-old veteran Morgan Moses if Moses is dinged up or loses his edge. Mike Vrabel should also program Lomu to be first in at both guard positions. He's too good a pass-blocker to sit.
Offensive linemen get injured, and if he doesn't start outright, Lomu is the Patriots' best backup option and should be prepped and ready to step in at all four non-center spots.
Drake Maye is poised to have an even better 2026 season than his brilliant, de facto MVP campaign in 2026. He now has the receiving corps to do so. Aside from adding another tight end due to Julian Hill's unfortunate season-ending injury, the only other impediment will be the offensive line's propensity to surrender sacks, hits, and hurries by the bushel.
If the Patriots have indeed fixed that issue, Maye will take the top off the NFL, and that's very bad news for the other 31 NFL teams.
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