Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make, and it certainly feels like that’s where the New England Patriots ended up based on how they handled things last spring.
Given the state of the team and all of their needs, one of the biggest discussions this time last year was whether or not the Patriots should have parlayed the #3 overall selection into multiple draft picks. Several analysts discussed the idea of potentially trading down and kicking the can into 2025 when it came to addressing the quarterback position.
When you consider how bereft this team was from a talent standpoint at the time, it definitely made sense. In addition to quarterback, they needed help along the offensive line and other areas, and trading the pick and garnering more draft currency would have absolutely made sense. At least on paper.
Still, based on what we’ve seen so far, it certainly feels like they were extremely fortunate Eliot Wolf didn’t overthink it and that didn’t happen.
Looking at this year’s potential class of 2025 Patriots Draft picks, had they not taken Drake Maye and last year still ended the way it did, New England would have been in tough shape. Anything less than securing the #1 overall pick would have been an even bigger disaster, with this year’s class of quarterbacks being less than inspiring.
One interesting scenario would have centered around recently traded quarterback – and last year’s sixth round pick – Joe Milton. Like Maye, maybe Milton ends up getting the nod mideason and plays the way he did against Buffalo in the finale. Maybe he would have still won four games and shown the same bright spots. Had that happened, it’s likely that the feel from last year’s draft would have been different. Wolf would have likely been considered a genius, primarily for taking a shot on another sixth round QB who probably would have still been a better option by midseason than Jacoby Brissett.
At the same time, you absolutely can’t argue that there’s something special there with Maye. The biggest thing that some seem to be wondering is whether or not he’s got the clutch gene in him, or that he can step up and make a play and close out a game. We saw a glimpse in Tennessee, but overtime didn’t pan out. That’s something people will be hoping changes in 2025.
Another interesting question is does Mike Vrabel even end up in New England without Maye being on the roster? Vrabel has already admitted that Maye played a big role in his decision to come back here. Would he have had the same affinity for Milton? It’s tough to say, given how quickly he shipped him off this offseason. Albeit, it was with the intention of keeping peace in the QB room because Maye was already here.
Those questions aside, the reality still would have been a little scary. Had they passed on Maye, it would have set up what’s looking to be a not so impressive QB draft class. Even if the Patriots had ended up with a shot at taking Cam Ward at #1 overall, it would have been tough to look back on the fact that they had a shot at Maye and let it slip through their fingers. The two are not the same, and Maye remains a player who feels like he has the greater ceiling.
Had this scenario played out and it was Milton at QB and the #1 pick, it certainly would have been interesting. Maybe they would have had enough confidence in Milton to instead opt for Travis Hunter to add an impact player to go with him, or maybe they would have traded down and gotten a haul of picks to wheel and deal their way around the board and continue building out the roster.
At the same time, that scenario would have come at the expense of passing on Maye. While it’s difficult to say how well he would have been coached elsewhere during his rookie season, watching Maye go out there and do what he did in 2024 for another team would have likely had fans seriously questioning that decision. Especially given who their options would have been this offseason had Milton not panned out.
For now, the Patriots fortunately seem to have made the correct decision and the only question is which player they’ll add to a roster that at least seems to have gotten it right at quarterback. As we know, not having a competent guy there can set a team back decades, and regardless of how this draft unfolds, fortunately New England appears to have at least avoided that.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
