The New England Patriots have a major decision to make on April 25, when they selecting third overall in the NFL Draft. While one of the three top quarterbacks of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels will still be on the board, likely along with top skill position player Marvin Harrison Jr., New England's new coaching staff led by Jerod Mayo will need to hope their scouting department leads them in the right direction.
As all teams do, scouting departments will study these prospects -- every play, every decision, everything they've ever done on or off the field -- in order to make sure they land the right player. Unfortunately, all of the scouting in the world can still lead to busts, as seen with the Chicago Bears' 2017 first round pick Mitch Trubisky, who was selected second overall after a standout college career at UNC.
Now 29 and a second-string QB behind Kenny Pickett on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Trubisky will likely be seen as a career back-up who never lived up to the high expectations of a top three pick.
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Unfortunately for Maye, one NFL offensive coordinator sees similarities between 21-year-old and the former UNC product, Trubisky.
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"I spoke to an offensive coordinator earlier this morning who told me that essentially one of the comps that his team is working up for Drake Maye is Mitch Trubisky, who obviously was also a North Carolina quarterback," NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry said on Arbella Early Edition. "Good size, good arm, good athlete, but obviously didn't work out all that well for Trubisky when he was drafted near the top of the draft all those years ago."
Unfortunately for Maye, digging deeper into their college stats doesn't bode well for the highly-touted prospect in comparison to Trubisky, who put up better stats in nearly every category. This past season, Maye threw for 3,608 yards on a 63.3 percent completion rate, logging 24 touchdowns to nine interceptions. In one more game played, Trubisky threw for 3,748 yards on a 68 percent completion rate, logging 30 touchdowns to just six interceptions.
"The traits are there," Perry added of the Maye and Trubisky comparison. "It's just a question of how well do they translate. He's coming from UNC where he had to play a lot of hero ball, not a great offensive line, not an All-Star receiving corps -- it's not LSU in terms of talent when we compare him against Jayden Daniels."
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Daniels, the 2023 Heisman winner, had an incredible final season at LSU, throwing for 3,812 yards on a 72.2 percent completion rate, with 40 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions in addition to 1,134 rushing yards. To Perry's point, Daniels had an All-Star caliber cast around him, headlined by WR Malik Nabers -- another player likely to be drafted within the top ten this year.
"Do you fall in love with the size?" Perry asked in regards to Maye. "He is the prototype -- he's going to have the kind of arm that can cut a football through the wind here in Foxborough in December or January -- it's just a question of how you value that versus some of the other stuff that might get him compared to somebody like Trubisky."
Should they keep the pick despite rumors they made trade down, the Patriots will ultimately be left to choose from whoever is left after the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders make their selections if they also elect to draft a QB.