Insider believes Drake Maye has chance to start right away for Patriots

Drake Maye is widely viewed as the type of quarterback prospect who needs to ride the bench for at least a season, but one prominent NFL reporter is not ruling out the possibility of the first-round pick starting as a rookie.

The New England Patriots took Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media spoke over the weekend about Maye’s chances of competing for a starting job in Year 1. The reporter reminded fans of what happened when the Patriots drafted Mac Jones in the first round three years ago.

“Remember when Mac Jones came in, it was like is he gonna be the starter? What’s the deal? They ended up releasing Cam Newton,” Rapoport said. “They came in, let them compete, and the guy who is the best and should be the starting quarterback starts and you make a decision moving forward.

“I think a lot of people thought that Drake Maye could come in and sit. That was generally what most scouts told me. But we will see what happens when they get on the field in training camp.”