Former UNC quarterback Drake Maye was selected by the New England Patriots as the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday evening. This makes him head coach Mack Brown's highest-drafted player since his return to North Carolina.
Chapel Hill ▶️ New England
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) April 26, 2024
Drake Maye is a Patriot!#ProHeels 🏈 #NEPats pic.twitter.com/e6XdCUWcpi
Maye threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns on just nine interceptions at a 63 percent completion rate during his redshirt sophomore season in 2023. The Charlotte native also ran for 449 yards and nine touchdowns. In his first season as a starter with the Tar Heels in 2022, Maye was named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
Maye will likely immediately start for head coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots went 4-13 in the 2023 regular season, finishing last in the AFC East thanks to a disastrous quarterback room; Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe split snaps to combine for just 16 passing touchdowns on 21 interceptions.
North Carolina has now produced 252 all-time NFL Draft selections, including 25 first-round picks. UNC's eight first-round picks since 2008 are the ACC's third-most, behind Clemson’s 17 and Florida State’s 12.
Maye joins Mitch Trubisky (Buffalo Bills) and Sam Howell (Seattle Seahawks) as the only three UNC quarterbacks to be drafted since 2017.
Maye joins elite company in being picked in the top-10 of the NFL Draft, including Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers, who were both taken second overall in 1981 and 2002, respectively.
