BOSTON — Drake Maye showed the New England Patriots that they succeeded in the most important area of their rebuild: They found their quarterback of the future.
Maye’s arm talent, mobility and emerging leadership intangibles made the rookie a beacon of hope for a New England squad. He’s done enough to catch the attention of a number of champions from the dynasty days for the Patriots, including Rob Gronkowski.
“I appreciated and supported them holding him out and doing that so he could develop and learn,” Gronkowski told reporters at “The Tradition” Wednesday night at TD Garden. “I feel like that’s why he’s the best quarterback in the draft already right now out of all the rookies. He looks like the best player as well because he developed a little bit longer. He wasn’t just thrown out there into all that pressure. To see him holding down the team, he’s probably the best player on the team already and he’s just a rookie. That’s a good sign for the future.”
The Patriots have a remarkable talent that understands what to do on the field to be successful. Gronkowski recognized Maye’s physical gifts and assessed the difference-makers for the North Carolina product that allowed him to stand out so far among the 2024 NFL Draft class.
“He’s a prototypical quarterback,” Gronkowski added. “That’s what makes him so great. The way that he can just sit in a pocket. You see a lot of guys around these days, they scramble right away when the offensive line breaks down. He’s not even scared, he doesn’t even have that good of an offensive line, he’s not even scared to sit in that pocket and do what he needs to do to let the play develop.”
Gronkowski continued: “The first two weeks, it was a little iffy. He just kept having that confidence more and more throughout every week that he was playing. That’s a good thing to see that he likes to sit in the pocket and be that type of pro-style quarterback that is always a success in the NFL. On top of that, this guy can roll out right and wing the ball. He can also roll out to his left and wing the ball when needed.”
Gronkowski exhibited confidence that the Patriots would support the roster around the young core this offseason and fight for ways to win in the meantime.
“The Tradition” airs Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. ET on NESN.
