The Patriots didn’t draft Drake Maye to be good – they drafted him to be great. When New England grabbed the North Carolina star with the No. 3 pick, they weren’t just getting a QB. They were betting on transformation. The kind who brings back the glory days, the Super Bowl chants, the feeling that’s been missing since Tom Brady left. Four years of wandering in the wilderness, four years of searching for the guy. Now, with Maye under center and Mike Vrabel bringing his tough-as-nails energy to the sideline, hope is creeping back into Foxborough.
But hope won’t cut it. Not in the AFC East. Not with expectations this high. Maye’s rookie year had flashes – big throws, bigger questions – but the Patriots didn’t take him third overall to stay the same. They need him to leap. And lately, the pressure’s been dialing up. Nick Cattles put it bluntly on Locked On Patriots podcast: The Patriots didn’t draft Maye to be good enough. “We talk about guys that might decline in 2025, but what we don’t spend a lot of time on is discussing guys that could plateau. They might not get better, but they might not get worse. They just kind of float along the season,” Nick said.
Talking about Maye, he put it clearly, “Drake Maye cannot plateau. We can’t look back at 2024 and say that that’s who Drake Maye is… You drafted Drake Maye because you felt like Maye had that ceiling, had that potential that he was going to grow into certain things on the field.” The tape doesn’t lie. 14 turnover-worthy plays in 10 starts, a 58.4% completion rate on intermediate throws, and that ugly OTA day where he gift-wrapped four picks. Tom E. Curran saw the disaster unfold. “One was a defensive hold. One appeared to be a miscommunication. One was a great play by Christian Gonzalez. And one, it looked like Maye airmailed the wide receiver.”
Aug 03, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws a pass during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots didn’t draft Maye third overall to be a cautionary tale. They need him to fix his footwork, sharpen his reads, and stop throwing to ghosts because Mike Vrabel’s patience will vanish faster than Maye’s passing windows against the Bills’ defense. But it’s not all doom and gloom in Foxborough.
Stefon Diggs has been whispering in Maye’s ear lately and not just with pep talks. The advice got specific. Actionable. The kind that makes you sit up straighter in the film room.
Drake Maye’s wake-up call
Stefon Diggs didn’t come to New England to coddle a QB. He came to ignite one. The proof? That private throwing session in Maye’s home state of North Carolina last week, where Diggs – fresh off the plane – already knew exactly what his new QB needed to hear. When Maye floated a pass his way, Diggs didn’t just catch it. He called him out. “Hey, don’t be scared to put that (expletive) mustard on there. I know you got it in there.”
The message was clear: Stop thinking. Start firing. That ‘mustard’ Diggs demanded? It wasn’t just velocity, it was conviction. The kind that turns checkdowns into chain-movers and safe throws into touchdowns. And when a teammate shouted ‘Mustaaard!’ – a nod to Kendrick Lamar’s hype track – even Diggs couldn’t resist laughing and echoing it back. But this wasn’t just some viral moment.
Watch the footage from Kendrick Bourne’s YouTube channel, and you’ll see the real work happening between the jokes. Maye and Diggs, running reps at William Amos Hough High School in Cornelius, then grinding late at Davidson College. No coaches. No play clocks. Just Maye, learning to trust his arm while Diggs, Bourne, DeMario Douglas, and Ja’Lynn Polk adjusted to his rhythm.
But here’s what makes this connection dangerous, it’s not just about arm talent anymore. Josh Allen sees it too. The Bills’ MVP quarterback didn’t just call Maye “one of my favorite young QBs” – he called him the embodiment of football. “He’s got his head on his shoulders the right way,” Allen told Sports Illustrated. But Allen knows something else: Diggs isn’t just a weapon. He’s a safety net. “He brings a lot of security for Drake,” Allen said, remembering how Diggs sharpened him during their Buffalo years. That’s the Diggs effect. He doesn’t just want targets; he demands trust.
The stakes? Higher than the Patriots’ 30th-ranked offense wants to admit. Because Diggs didn’t demand a trade to babysit. He came to win. And if Maye hesitates – if he doesn’t ‘put that mustard’ on throws against real defenses like he did in those North Carolina sessions – Diggs’ patience won’t last as long as his highlight reel.
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