After months of speculation, the New England Patriots have found their quarterback of the present and future in Drake Maye. Landing Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf couldn't be happier with the decision.

Maye was the third quarterback off the board after Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels went No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. But to Wolf and Mayo, Maye was the No. 1 option for the Patriots, via Mark Daniels of MassLive.

“We were very comfortable with Drake Maye,” Mayo said.

“He has a lot of talent,” Wolf added.

But New England's key executive didn't stop there. In drafting Maye, Wolf believes the Patriots got a quarterback that will make everyone on the offense shine, via Chris Mason of MassLive.

“Drake Maye is a player that elevates those around him,” Wolf said.

The Patriots telegraphed their quarterback move by trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was clear he nor Bailey Zappe were the answer at QB. Rumors filled the airwaves on what New England would do, from drafting Jayden Daniels or JJ McCarthy to a potential trade down. But all of the Patriots' fans have been answered.

Drake Maye is New England's new QB1.

What Drake Maye offers Patriots 

Drake Maye next to a Patriots logo and NFL Draft logo

Maye spent three years at North Carolina, appearing in 30 total games. He threw for 8,018 yards, 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Maye broke onto the scene in 2022, when he was named the ACC Player of the Year and earned First-Team All-ACC honors. That season, the quarterback threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Maye's stats came down slightly in 2023, throwing for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His output still earned the QB Second-Team All-ACC honors. It certainly reign in the NFL interest in North Carolina's outgoing star.

One bad season does not mad a bad prospect and Maye's questionable 2023 campaign didn't seem to poison the well. He's still a highly projectable player with enormous upside. While the Patriots had considered a trade down, they couldn't resist drafting Maye with the No. 3 pick.

While their quarterback is now in place, New England still has plenty of work to do to build out their offense. The Patriots finished the 2023 season ranked 30th in total offense, averaging 276.2 yards per game. Quarterback play played a direct role in New England's failures.

But with Maye in place, the Patriots are expecting all facets of their offense to improve. They may not have weapons like Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski or Julian Edelman, but New England is optimistic Drake Maye will make the pieces in place succeed.

The Patriots are entering a brand new era of their organization with Bill Belichick no longer around. Their first order of business was finding their quarterback. New England has accomplished just that with their selection of Maye.