Super Bowl Champion Claims New England Patriots Made Mistake with First-Round Pick

The New England Patriots were among the teams rumored to trade out of the top 10 in the 2024 NFL Draft. After much speculation in the media, Patriots director of player personnel Eliot Wolf confirmed the team was “open for business.” Despite expectations they would trade down, the Pats stood pat (pun intended) and selected UNC’s Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick.

Read more: Patriots News: Jerod Mayo Brutally Honest About Drake Maye in Rookie Camp

Maye was not as highly touted as USC’s Caleb Williams and LSU’s Jayden Daniels, but he was still rightfully labeled as the third-best quarterback prospect from the draft. Maye’s arm strength and size are undeniable, but his transition might be a lot rougher than hoped for a typical No. 3 pick.

During the Patriots’ rookie minicamp, head coach Jerod Mayo held a press conference and was quite forward about what he thinks regarding Maye’s skillset. Mayo told Mike Reiss of ESPN, “He has a lot of work to do.”

Initially, the statement began to send ripples through the NFL world, with many believing that Maye might be a more developmental prospect than a hopeful day-one starter. Now, a Super Bowl champion has taken Mayo’s statement a bit further, indicating the team might be regretful for drafting Maye.

Former Super Bowl champion Plaxico Burress joined The Carton Show, where he delved a bit deeper into Mayo’s comments.

According to Burress, “It doesn’t sound good to me if I was Jerod Mayo and the fans for the New England Patriots, because basically what you just said is that ‘we might have drafted the wrong guy! I am gonna paint this picture right now. He may not as be as good as we thought he would.’ “

Burress is inferring that Mayo’s comment reflects the team already holding regrets about drafting Maye, but that might not be the case. Mayo also said Monday, “I have no doubt that he will put the time in. You didn’t see him out here yesterday, but he was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else.”

Regardless of how one parses his words, Burress believes the issue with Maye could be his lack of playing time in college.

“Listen, this guy only played 26 games in the ACC, and he threw 3,600 yards. The ACC is not exactly the SEC or the Big 10, so you’re talking about 3,600 yards and 26 touchdowns in college. And you drafted with the third pick. You ask them to be the savior of this team? Yeah, good luck,” Burress added.

The Patriots did the right thing by drafting Maye, as they desperately need a franchise quarterback. The young rookie might need some time to develop, and there is nothing wrong with that.

A former wide receiver, Burress played 11 NFL seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and New York Jets from 2000-12.