Drake Maye: Patriots Rookie Season Has Been 'Tough,' Have 'A Lot to Learn From'

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye reflected on his first NFL season and expressed optimism for the future on Wednesday.

According to MassLive.com's Mark Daniels, Maye said: "It's been a tough season. A lot to learn from. I'm excited—I can see where it's going."

After moving on from Mac Jones, the Pats selected Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft in hopes that they were landing the franchise quarterback they had been searching for since Tom Brady's departure.

Despite his success collegiately at North Carolina, Maye began his NFL rookie season as the backup to veteran Jacoby Brissett, but head coach Jerod Mayo made the decision to go with Maye as the starter in Week 6, and he remained in that role for the rest of the season.

Maye has gone just 2-9 in his 11 starts, but he has been among the few bright spots in New England this season, completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while also rushing for 421 yards and two scores.

Overall, the Pats are 3-13 on the year, and they are currently in position to pick No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

Teams often target a quarterback in that spot, but since the Patriots already have Maye, they would be able to take the player who they believe is the top overall prospect in the draft at that spot.

As of now, that player looks to be Travis Hunter, who starred as both a wide receiver and cornerback at the University of Colorado and won the Heisman Trophy.

The Patriots have some major needs on both sides of the ball, but none bigger than getting Maye some quality targets in the passing game.

Tight end Hunter Henry is New England's leading pass-catcher this season with 66 receptions for 674 yards, while Demario Douglas is tops among wideouts with 63 catches for 587 yards. No other wide receiver has more than 36 grabs or 472 yards.

The Patriots can lock up the No. 1 overall pick with the loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, although the Bills will rest many of their starters since they are already locked in as the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

If the Pats win, it would possibly take them out of the running for Hunter, but they could still potentially land another top receiver in the draft such as Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan or Missouri's Luther Burden III.

Additionally, some high-end offensive weapons are set to hit free agency during the offseason, including wide receivers Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs

Getting more talent around Maye figures to be the Patriots' No. 1 priority, and if that happens, they could become the Bills' biggest threat in the AFC East as soon as next season.