On Thursday, the New England Patriots selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye third overall with hopes that he will be the next guy to lead their franchise to relevancy and contention.
Many analysts and talking heads have already given their opinions on the move, including former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who parted ways with the team after their horrendous 4-13 2023 season. He wants people to pump the brakes on the comparisons to All-Pro quarterbacks.
"Drake compares himself a lot to Josh Allen... We'll see about that," Belichick said on Pat McAfee's draft show (transcribed by Doug Kyed). "I think there are some comparisons with size and athleticism, but Josh Allen is a pretty special player.
"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 makes some big plays... He's gonna need some work in reading defenses, reading coverages.
"He's kind of quick to bail out of the pocket. He's gonna have to hang in there a little bit longer to find those receivers... This is a kid who can make all of the throws. He just needs to be more consistent... Transitioning from a college quarterback to a pro quarterback, he's just going to need some time and experience."
NFL DRAFT RANKINGS: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | EDGE
Obviously, we'll never know, but it would be interesting to know if Belichick would've made this move, or if he would've accepted a trade down to add more draft picks.
