Rodney Harrison walks back previous statements on Patriots QB Drake Maye

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, it was beyond clear that the Patriots were going to take a quarterback and who that might be likely depended on who fell to them with the third overall selection. Because the Bears and Commanders were on the docket ahead of them, they were expected to take the top prospects of the class, leaving the Patriots with the next in line.

It was apparent that Chicago would take USC's Caleb Williams, but who Washington would ultimately choose was not. Rumors flooded headlines about who they were leaning toward, whether it be LSU's Jayden Daniels or UNC's Drake Maye, both of whom became interchangeable in the days leading to the draft including with the Patriots.

Inevitably, the Commanders chose Daniels and the Patriots picked Maye, which received mixed reactions from those around New England.

The 21-year-old had been discussed as the possible best quarterback of the class, with others suggesting he needed at least a year on the bench to be a proper quarterback in the NFL. Some even labeled him a project, making the Patriots' decision look even more questionable.

Since he took over as the starter in Week 6, that's been far from the truth, and many analysts and reporters have had to walk back their previous declarations about the kind of player Maye would become. One of those prominent voices was former Patriot Rodney Harrison, who is not shying away from owning his mistake in his assessment of Maye.

Rodney Harrison takes back his initial impressions of Drake Maye

While discussing who the Patriots might take with the third overall pick, Harrison was not interested in discussing the idea of Maye being their choice and said so in a very definitive matter.

Since then, he has changed his tune and spoke about what has changed his mind in the months since, especially after seeing Maye perform over the last eight games.

"The first thing is that I've seen some things from Drake Maye that have surprised me. He's better than I anticipated. I like the kid's personality. I like his demeanor. He has this quiet competitiveness about him. He's a lot better athlete than I thought."

Harrison went further and emphasized the need to surround the quarterback with more talent next season, something that has become a talking point throughout the season. Because the Patriots are expected to have the most cap space to spend in free agency, there's no reason for them not to prioritize making that happen, especially since they already addressed the most important position on the offense at quarterback.

Maye has been the shining light of the season and kept the team in games that they otherwise would have lost by far more than just one possession. Even if he happened to be the quarterback that fell to them in the draft, he was (by far) the right decision and has arguably been the best rookie of his class, proving even more that the Patriots cannot mess up his development and have a repeat of the Mac Jones experience again.

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