Why Drake Maye can be a top-10 QB in 2025

When the Patriots turned to Drake Maye successful Week 6 of the 2024 season, they tasked the No. 3 wide prime with revitalizing an discourtesy plagued by inconsistency and inexperience.

In 11 starts from Week 6 to Week 17, Maye threw for 2,254 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, portion adding 409 rushing yards and 2 rushing scores. That translated to an mean of 16.0 phantasy points per crippled successful those starts, which would person ranked conscionable extracurricular the apical 12 quarterbacks implicit a afloat season.

Maye's ratio was notable. He finished 17th successful backmost standing (QBR) and threw astatine slightest 1 touchdown successful each afloat crippled helium played.

Entering his 2nd NFL season, Maye has each the makings of a top-10 phantasy quarterback. After showing committedness successful his rookie year, helium enters a acold amended violative concern and offers the dual-threat accomplishment acceptable that phantasy managers covet.

Here's wherefore Maye, whose existent mean draught presumption of 152.3 successful ESPN leagues ranks 18th amongst quarterbacks, deserves superior attraction successful your 2025 phantasy drafts:

An upgraded supporting cast

The biggest offseason summation for the Patriots is Stefon Diggs, a proven wideout with six 1,000-yard seasons and a vocation mean of 72.8 receiving yards per game. Diggs' route-running and separation skills should instantly elevate Maye's passing ceiling.

The Patriots besides added Mack Hollins, rookie Kyle Williams and dynamic second-round moving backmost TreVeyon Henderson, who brings pass-catching quality retired of the backfield. This gives Maye a overmuch deeper and much versatile radical of playmakers than helium had arsenic a rookie.

There are besides improvements connected the violative line, which is notable fixed the large extortion issues past season. The Patriots ranked adjacent the bottommost of the league successful walk artifact triumph complaint and past successful tally artifact triumph rate. While Maye played successful lone 13 games arsenic a rookie, helium was sacked 34 times, ranking 15th successful the league.

To code this, New England added seasoned linemen Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury, drafted near tackle Will Campbell successful the archetypal circular and picked up halfway Jared Wilson. Even mean betterment present could pb to cleaner pockets and much accordant accumulation from Maye.

In addition, caller caput manager Mike Vrabel arrives with a run-heavy inheritance from his clip successful Tennessee, but the instrumentality of Josh McDaniels arsenic violative coordinator signals a much balanced and adaptable approach.

McDaniels knows however to physique schemes astir his quarterback's strengths. Expect early-down runs to acceptable up play-action and run-pass options that let Maye to instrumentality vantage of mismatches. This strategy plays to some his passing quality and his mobility.

The rushing level matters successful fantasy

Maye's rushing quality is simply a large asset, particularly compared to immoderate different young quarterbacks who don't utilize the crushed crippled arsenic much. Maye ranked ninth astatine QB successful rushing yards and archetypal astatine the presumption with 7.8 yards per unreserved (minimum 20 carries), showing the quality to widen plays and salvage phantasy points adjacent erstwhile nether pressure.

Even successful games wherever passing numbers dip, a fistful of scrambles tin pb to 50 rushing yards, which translates to 5.0 phantasy points earlier touchdowns are adjacent considered. This gives him a reliable phantasy floor.

That rushing information nett makes Maye a much appealing enactment than pouch passers specified arsenic Jared Goff oregon C.J. Stroud, who don't connection the aforesaid mobility.

Favorable docket and invaluable fill-in

The Patriots person the sixth-easiest docket successful 2025, according to ESPN expert Mike Clay's strength of docket matrix.

Maye besides lines up good arsenic a bye-week fill-in for managers with Patrick Mahomes oregon Joe Burrow, who person byes successful Week 10, oregon Jayden Daniels, Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa, who person byes successful Week 12.

In those matchups, Maye draws the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals -- 2 defenses that struggled to incorporate dual-threat quarterbacks past year. This benignant of flexibility positions him arsenic a high-end QB2 oregon a astute constituent of a backmost committee approach.

Addressing the concerns

Maye ranked 10th successful the league successful off-target percent (13.6%) past season, a reflection of the risky passes helium was forced to marque nether unit down a struggling violative line. With upgrades to extortion and amended violative endowment astir him, that fig should drop.

Diggs' betterment from an ACL wounded is different variable. If his snaps are constricted aboriginal successful the season, Maye volition request to trust much connected Williams, Hollins and DeMario Douglas. Fortunately, that radical has capable extent to capable in, with 2024 second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk and Kayshon Boutte besides successful the mix.

While Vrabel's estimation suggests a run-focused offense, his Tennessee teams inactive utilized backmost mobility erstwhile available. Maye's rushing quality could marque him a focal constituent alternatively than an afterthought. On apical of that, Maye has had a afloat offseason to amended his reads, sharpen his pouch beingness and turn with a stronger roster astir him, suggesting an upward trajectory.

So what's Maye's existent potential?

Taking a 2nd backmost feels unnecessary successful galore leagues, but Maye's illustration breaks that mold.

Maye's rookie per-game accumulation already bordered connected QB1 territory. With an improved line, amended playmakers and a strategy that leverages his skills, a breakout play is good wrong reach. A crippled with 250 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 60 rushing yards would nett 24 phantasy points -- good supra the 20.9 mean of past season's top-10 phantasy quarterbacks. Mix successful a mates of spike weeks against anemic defenses, and Maye could easy find himself successful top-10 territory.

The second-year QB offers a harmless rushing level and breathtaking passing upside, each astatine a late-round price. That makes him 1 of the smartest targets astatine backmost successful 2025.