Drake Maye is one of just two healthy first-round rookie quarterbacks who has played less than one quarter of football in the NFL, and protecting his dynasty value is extremely important.With speculation swirling around that Jerod Mayo might be making a change, there’s more at stake than wins and losses in 2024.
Drake Maye’s Dynasty Value and Health Needs Protected
Mayo and the Patriots made the decision at the beginning of the season to start Jacoby Brissett over Maye. Everyone knows Maye is much more talented. However, quarterbacks can benefit from not being thrown into the fire too soon. Just ask Panthers fans about Bryce Young.
The offense has struggled in New England through five games, and Mayo is now considering a change at the quarterback position. While Maye would certainly be an upgrade, the Patriots need to look beyond this year and do what’s best for their young star.
A QB change could soon be coming to New England, with rookie first-round pick Drake Maye potentially starting Sunday vs. the Texans. https://t.co/upeylmzyyR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 7, 2024
Patriots Offensive Line Issues
New England’s offensive line is in the conversation for one of the worst in the NFL. Through five weeks, the unit has a 48.3% pressure rate which is last in the NFL. They’ve conceded 19 sacks which is an average of 3.8 sacks per game. When Mayo gave the rookie quarterback a shot against the Jets, he was sacked twice on one drive.
To say this offensive line is atrocious is an understatement. Everyone outside of the New England Patriots organization knows that group is a disaster. Changing the quarterback isn’t going to make the lineman suddenly play better. They may try to protect the rookie a little more, but you can’t make mountains out of molehills.
Nobody wants to see Brissett get hurt. However, Mayo and the Patriots need to protect their first-round investment. Playing him behind this offensive line sets him up for failure and injuries.
Upcoming Schedule and Wide Receiver Group Add Insult to Injury
Three of the next four matchups, including Sunday against Houston, are tough matchups for any quarterback. Add in a quarterback making his first start, and it makes things even worse. Maye got a brief look against the Jets defense earlier this season, but one drive is an extremely small sample size.
The schedule gets a little easier after Week 10 for the Patriots with matchups against teams like the Rams, Colts and Cardinals. However, that’s not enough of a justification to throw Maye into the deep end and have him try to fix things.
While Brissett may hold the ball too long at times, that’s not entirely his fault. Outside of Ja’Lynn Polk and possibly DeMario Douglas, there isn’t a single wide receiver on New England’s roster that deserves to be there. The receiver room is just as much of a disaster as the offensive line.
Polk and Douglas are the only two receivers who can separate from their opponent and make contested catches. There’s a reason the two of them have the most yards among Patriots wide receivers. Douglas is the only wide receiver and just one of two pass catchers with more than 100 receiving yards. What good does that do for Maye and his dynasty value?
Drake Maye’s Current Dynasty Value
While it’s difficult to say, the best case scenario for dynasty owners is for Maye to sit the entire season. It’s tough seeing the guy you picked in the first round sit on the bench and collect dust. However, this Patriots roster has way too many deficiencies to be good in 2024. Wide receiver and offensive line must be priorities in free agency and the draft. In the interim, throwing Maye into this dumpster fire does nothing but set him up for failure.
If Maye gets thrown in and finds a way to cover up all of the issues with this offense, he may just become the third player in NFL history to be a unanimous MVP. However, there’s a better chance of being struck by lightning than ever seeing that scenario play out.
New England can’t expect Maye to come in and just make the bad go away. His value as a player needs to be protected (which dynasty owners will appreciate), and the organization needs to care about his health.
Main Photo Courtesy of Brad Penner – Imagn Images
