Wild Patriots’ online stats make Drake Maye’s game even more impressive originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Does Drake Maye the best quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft class?
The obvious answer is Jayden Daniels, based on the gaudy numbers he posted for the 7-4 Washington Commanders. But there’s a compelling argument for Maye, and it revolves around his supporting cast (or lack thereof) on the New England Patriots.
Maye had 1,236 passing yards, nine touchdown passes and six interceptions in six starts with the Patriots. He also added 260 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on just 28 carries, leading all NFL QBs with 9.3 yards per carry.
Now consider context: Maye excels even though he plays in front of the worst offensive line in the NFL – and one of the worst offensive lines. any the first round rookie QB has had over the last two decades.
The folks at Football Insights tracked each rookie first-round QB’s decline in EPA (expected points added) relative to their team’s pass block rating (during their rookie year) from 2006 to 2024. And it turns out Maye’s Patriots have the worst pass blocking. rating of any team on the list — by a wide margin.
Despite his o-line’s abysmal play, Maye still has a positive EPA per dropback, putting him in the same category of QBs as CJ Stroud, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Deshaun Watson, who found success as rookies against the bad. online game. Daniels has the highest EPA per dropback of any rookie QB on this list, but as the graph illustrates, Washington’s offensive line has been significantly better than New England’s (though still below average) in terms of pass blocking.
If you need more proof that the odds are against Maye, consider these two graphics from NFL reporter Ben Baldwin:
The first chart tells us that the Patriots’ pass protection and win rate along the offensive line are worse (by far) than any team outside of the New Orleans Saints. The second points out that New England ranks last in the NFL in “true passing grade,” another indicator of pass protection.
That’s all to say that Maye was essentially thrown to the wolves behind a patchwork offensive line made up of three starters who were released by their original teams early in the season (Demontrey Jacobs, Ben Brown and Michael Jordan).
And he not only survives, but thrives, thanks in part to his ability to escape pressure and make throws on the run.
According to Benjamin Solak of ESPN.comMaye has a 31.3% first down/touchdown rate when pressured, which ranks fourth in the NFL among qualified QBs. He faced pressure on almost half of his withdrawals Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams (22 of 46) but completed 13 of 19 passes for 158 yards under pressure, by our Phil Perry.
New England’s struggles along the offensive line played a significant role in Mac Jones’ failure in Foxboro. Maye looks like a different beast though, and his success behind an equally bad o-line in 2024 suggests he has real franchise QB potential for the future.
