Bill Belichick isn’t in the New England Patriots war room this offseason, but the veteran head coach certainly has an opinion on the team’s first round draft pick.
Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” draft night special, Belichick sounded lukewarm in his take on the Patriots selecting former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick on Thursday night.
Drake Maye poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected third overall by the New England Patriots during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza on April 25, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Belichick seemingly shaded the selection over Maye’s own comparison to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
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“Drake compares himself a lot to Josh Allen, he’s been doing that for quite a while – we’ll see about that.”
He continued, “I think there are some similarities in terms of size and athleticism, but Josh Allen is a pretty special player now.”
After dealing away Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in the offseason, Belichick admitted that the quarterback position was one of the Patriots “top” needs in the first round. But Maye didn’t appear to be the guy Belichick would’ve selected.
North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye (10) drops back to pass during the college football game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on October 28th, 2023 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“A very talented kid, good size, runs well, has a good arm – just, he hasn’t played very much. He really doesn’t have a lot of experience.”
“He’s gonna need some work in reading defenses, reading coverages,” Belichick added. “This is a kid that can make all the throws, he just needs to be more consistent.”
Maye enters the Patriots under a new regime, including a new offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt.
Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels stiff-arms Jeremiah Lewis #39 of the Duke Blue Devils during the game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
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In his two seasons at UNC, Maye threw for 7,929 yards with a 64.9% completion rate. He threw for 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while running for 16 more scores. He was All-ACC first-team in 2022 and second-team last season. He passed for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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