Drake Maye stands tall in an otherwise botched 2024 NFL Draft for Patriots

The New England Patriots took Drake Maye with pick No. 3 in the 2024 NFL Draft to be the quarterback of the future. They did little else to help him.

Maye is a lock to make the 53-man roster as teams cut down ahead of Tuesday's deadline at 4 p.m. ET. The same can't be said for the Patriots' other picks from the 2024 draft. 

In a piece published Sunday, ESPN's Mike Reiss noted mo st of the players from this class are on the roster bubble.  

Guard/tackle Caedan Wallace (third round) and wide receiver Javon Baker (fourth round) have reportedly struggled to make an impression throughout training camp and the preseason. 

Other players from the class are already gone or injured. 

The Patriots dealt backup QB Joe Milton III (sixth round) to the Dallas Cowboys in April. They waived tight end Jaheim Bell (seventh round) on Friday and guard Layden Robinson (fourth round) with an injury designation on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr. (sixth round) is on injured reserve after tearing his ACL, and WR Ja'Lynn Polk (second round) is e xpected to land on IR after suffering a shoulder injury. 

Maye, who turns 23 on Aug. 30, could prove to be a franchise cornerstone after a promising rookie season. In 13 games, the North Carolina product completed 66.6% of his passes for 2,276 yards and tossed 15 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. 

If the Patriots continue to whiff in the draft, however, that will make life much harder for Maye. 

Thus far, the 2025 class appears to be stronger than the 2024 class. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson (second round) has showcased his explosiveness in the preseason. He returned a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown in the preseason opener against the Washington Commanders. 

New Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel may still need to give the team's scouting department some pointers. It clearly has room for improvement.