Wikipedia

Drake Maye

Drake Lee Maye (born August 30, 2002) is an American professional football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he was named the 2022 ACC Football Player of the Year after leading the NCAA in total yards and setting single-season school records in passing yards and touchdowns. Maye was selected third overall by the Patriots in the 2024 NFL draft.

Drake Maye
refer to caption
Maye at Myers Park High School in 2018
No. 10 – New England Patriots
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (2002-08-30) August 30, 2002 (age 22)
Huntersville, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Myers Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)
College:North Carolina (2021–2023)
NFL draft:2024 / round: 1 / pick: 3
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024
Passing attempts:125
Passing completions:82
Completion percentage:65.6%
TD–INT:6–4
Passing yards:770
Passer rating:85.1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Maye was born on August 30, 2002, in Huntersville, North Carolina.[1][2] He attended William A. Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, and transferred after his freshman year to Myers Park High School in Charlotte, where he played football and basketball.[3] He has three brothers, who also played football—two of his brothers won national championships playing collegiate sports. Maye proved to have a competitive nature with them regarding sports.[4] As a junior in high school, he received All-Conference and All-District honors in basketball and was named The Charlotte Observer's 2019 male athlete of the year after throwing for a school-record 3,512 yards and 50 touchdowns en route to a conference championship appearance.[1][5][6] Maye was named a Under Armour All-American in 2020 despite being unable to play his senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Rated a four-star prospect, Maye committed to play college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide in July 2019 before flipping to North Carolina in March 2020.[7]

College career

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See also: North Carolina Tar Heels statistical leaders

As a redshirt in his freshman season for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Maye appeared in four games behind starter Sam Howell in 2021.[8] With Howell leaving for the NFL in 2022, Maye was named the starter prior to the season.[9] In the opening game against Florida A&M, Maye threw five touchdowns and became the first UNC quarterback to do so in his debut.[10] Maye would also record games with four or more total touchdowns against Appalachian State,[11] Notre Dame,[12] Virginia Tech,[13] Pittsburgh,[14] and Wake Forest.[15] He led the team to appearances in the 2022 ACC Championship Game and Holiday Bowl and was named the ACC Player of the Year after leading the NCAA in total offense with 5,019,[16] passing for school-records 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns while rushing for 698 yards and 7 touchdowns.[17]

In the 2023 season, Maye threw for over 400 yards against Syracuse,[18] Miami,[19] and Campbell.[20] Maye was named second-team All-ACC after passing for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 449 yards and nine touchdowns.[21] Maye declared for the 2024 NFL draft following the season.[22] He finished his career fifth in passing yards (8,018) and fourth in passing touchdowns (63) in UNC history.[23]

College statistics

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College statistics
Season Team Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yards Avg TD
2021 North Carolina 4 0 — 7 10 70.0 89 8.9 1 0 177.8 6 62 10.3 0
2022 14 14 9−5 342 517 66.2 4,321 8.4 38 7 157.9 184 698 3.8 7
2023 12 12 8−4 269 425 63.3 3,608 8.5 24 9 149.0 112 449 4.0 9
Career 30 26 17−9 618 952 64.9 8,018 8.4 63 16 154.1 302 1,209 4.0 16

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 4+3⁄8 in
(1.94 m) 		223 lb
(101 kg) 		32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)
All values from NFL Combine[24][25]

Maye was selected by the New England Patriots as the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.[26] He was the third of a record-tying six quarterbacks taken in the first round (tied with the 1983 draft).[27] Maye signed a four-year fully-guaranteed contract worth $36.64 million on May 28, 2024.[28] Maye was the second consecutive Patriots first round rookie quarterback to choose the number 10, following Mac Jones.[29]

Despite a strong preseason, Maye was named a backup to veteran Jacoby Brissett to begin his rookie season.[30] Maye made his regular season debut in Week 3, entering in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' 24–3 road loss to the New York Jets. Maye finished the game, completing four of eight passes for 22 yards and rushing for 12 yards.[31] On October 8, 2024, after the Patriots fell to 1–4 and continued struggles from Brissett, Maye was named the starting quarterback.[32] In his first start against the Houston Texans, Maye completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the 41–21 loss; he also led the team with 38 rushing yards.[33] Maye's three touchdowns were one more than Brissett had thrown in his five 2024 starts,[34] and Maye became the first quarterback since at least 1950 to throw three touchdown passes and lead his team in rushing in his first start.[35] In Week 8 against the Jets, Maye recorded a rushing touchdown before exiting the game in the second quarter with a head injury, later diagnosed as a concussion. The Patriots would go on to win 25–22.[36][37]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A Y/G Lng TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg Lng TD Sck SckY Fum Lost
2024 NE 5 4 1–3 82 125 65.6 770 6.2 154.0 40 6 4 85.1 21 209 10.0 26 1 13 95 3 2
Career 5 4 1–3 82 125 65.6 770 6.2 154.0 40 6 4 85.1 21 209 10.0 26 1 13 95 3 2

Personal life

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Maye's father Mark played quarterback at North Carolina (UNC) in the 1980s prior to playing briefly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks.[1] He is the youngest of four brothers: Luke and Beau played basketball at UNC, with the former landing a buzzer beater in the Elite Eight en route to winning the 2017 national championship.[38] Another brother, Cole, was a pitcher on the Florida Gators baseball team that won the 2017 College World Series.[1] Maye grew up family friends with quarterback Mason Rudolph, as their fathers played together at UNC.[39] He is also good friends with Sam Howell, who preceded him as starting quarterback at UNC.[40]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Brugler, Dane. "The Beast: 2024 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. pp. 5–6. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Carboni, Nick (December 11, 2023). "UNC QB Drake Maye will not play in Duke's Mayo Bowl". WCNC.com. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Krammer, Andrew (March 27, 2024). "Vikings' connection to QB Drake Maye goes way back with Josh McCown". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  4. ^ Graff, Chad (August 12, 2024). "From driveway 'King of the Court' to Patriots' future, Drake Maye was built to compete". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Zietlow, Alex (April 25, 2024). "Before NFL spotlight, Drake Maye was a Charlotte high school basketball 'assassin'". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Luck, Quierra (June 7, 2020). "UNC Commit Drake Maye Wins Observer Male Athlete of the Year". Athlon Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  7. ^ South, Hank (March 6, 2020). "Drake Maye de-commits from Alabama, flips to North Carolina". 247Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Wofford vs. North Carolina - Game Summary - ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  9. ^ Batten, Sammy (August 22, 2022). "UNC football names freshman Drake Maye starting QB". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  10. ^ Batten, Sammy (August 27, 2022). "Drake Maye, North Carolina football light up FAMU in season opener". fayobserver.com. The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  11. ^ Reed, Steve (September 3, 2022). "Maye's 5 TDs lift UNC over Appalachian State 63-61". Associated Press. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  12. ^ Sutton, Bob (September 24, 2022). "Pyne clicks as Notre Dame powers past North Carolina". Associated Press. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  13. ^ Doherty, Brennan (October 2022). "Maye's big day leads North Carolina past Virginia Tech 41-10". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Batten, Sammy. "How Drake Maye led UNC football to rally past Pitt, set path to ACC championship". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Batten, Sammy (November 11, 2022). "Drake Maye dazzles as UNC football beats Wake Forest, clinches ACC Championship berth". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  16. ^ "Total Yards Year-by-Year Leaders and Records". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  17. ^ "UNC's Maye Selected as ACC Player of the Year". theACC.org. November 30, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  18. ^ "No. 14 UNC drubs Syracuse 40-7 behind Maye's 4 total touchdowns". WTVD. October 7, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Baxley, Rodd (October 14, 2023). "First time in 100 years? UNC football matches record in win vs. Miami". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  20. ^ "Maye throws for 4 TDs as North Carolina rolls past Campbell 59-7". theACC.com. Associated Press. November 4, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "Atlantic Coast Conference Announces 2023 All-ACC Football Teams". theACC.com. November 28, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  22. ^ Smith, Adam (December 11, 2023). "Drake Maye Entering NFL Draft, Ending Sparkling UNC Career". 247Sports. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  23. ^ "North Carolina Tar Heels Passing Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  24. ^ "Drake Maye Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Drake Maye College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  26. ^ Reiss, Mike (April 25, 2024). "Patriots select QB Drake Maye with No. 3 pick in NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Alper, Josh (April 25, 2024). "Six quarterbacks in first round ties NFL record". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  28. ^ Kyed, Doug (May 28, 2024). "Patriots notes: QB Drake Maye signs rookie deal ahead of second week of OTAs". Boston Herald. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  29. ^ "New Patriots QB Drake Maye explains jersey number choice". Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  30. ^ Gordon, Grant (August 29, 2024). "Jacoby Brissett named Patriots' Week 1 starter over first-rounder Drake Maye". NFL.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  31. ^ Williams, Charean (September 20, 2024). "Drake Maye makes NFL debut in mop-up duty". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  32. ^ "Source: Pats to start rookie QB Maye vs. Texans". ESPN.com. October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  33. ^ "Texans 41-21 Patriots (Oct 13, 2024) Game Stats". ESPN. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  34. ^ McCarriston, Shanna (October 13, 2024). "Takeaways from Drake Maye's first NFL start: QB settles in after sloppy start, shows flashes in Texans loss". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  35. ^ Hartwell, Darren (October 14, 2024). "Drake Maye's game vs. Texans was first of its kind in 74-plus years". NBC Sports Boston. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  36. ^ Owens, Jason (October 27, 2024). "Patriots QB Drake Maye ruled out of Jets game with head injury caused by helmet-to-helmet hit". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  37. ^ "Patriots-Jets recap: Pats win on last-minute TD; Maye suffers concussion". NBC Sports Boston. October 27, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  38. ^ Walker, Teresa (March 26, 2017). "UNC's Luke Maye hits last-second shot to beat Kentucky, book trip to Final Four". Boston.com. Associated Press. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  39. ^ Nesbitt, Stephen J. (January 14, 2017). "'That's my boy!': The brotherly bond between Steelers QB Mason Rudolph and Tar Heels hero Luke Maye". The Athletic.
  40. ^ Marrero, Nathaniel (March 1, 2024). "Top QB Prospect Drake Maye Reveals 'Best Friend' Relationship with Commanders' Sam Howell". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 1, 2024.

Further reading

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