Drake Maye delivered a sensational campaign in 2025 alongside offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, transforming the New England Patriots into Super Bowl contenders.
As a second-year signal-caller, the young quarterback guided his team all the way to the championship game while finishing as the runner-up in MVP voting. His performance firmly established him as one of the league’s brightest young talents and a cornerstone for the franchise’s future.
Yet not everyone in the media shares the same level of enthusiasm for Maye’s rapid rise.
A prominent Top 100 NFL players ranking released by CBS Sports placed the Patriots quarterback only 61st overall. Analyst Pete Prisco’s evaluation positioned Maye behind several veteran passers, raising eyebrows among fans who witnessed his breakout season firsthand.
The list featured multiple established quarterbacks ahead of Maye, including Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow, all of whom landed in the top five. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson further rounded out the elite group of quarterbacks, with both also cracking the overall top 10. Lower on the ranking but still ahead of Maye were Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, and Jared Goff, creating a notable gap between the young Patriot and more experienced peers.
Maye’s regular-season numbers painted a picture of dominance across multiple categories. He led the entire NFL with a 72 percent completion rate, amassing 4,394 passing yards and 31 touchdowns against only eight interceptions. On the ground, he contributed 450 rushing yards and four additional scores, showcasing a well-rounded skill set that few quarterbacks could match.
Statistically speaking, Maye ranked fourth in passing yards and third in passing touchdowns league-wide. He also placed fourth among quarterbacks in rushing yards and eighth in rushing touchdowns. These figures suggest he outperformed a larger portion of the quarterback class than his placement in the CBS Sports ranking would indicate, highlighting a potential disconnect between raw production and the final evaluation.
Prisco acknowledged the excellence of Maye’s regular season but expressed reservations tied to his playoff showing.
“He finished second in MVP voting in his second season, leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl. He threw 31 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions, but he didn’t play well in the postseason,” Prisco wrote.
During the postseason, Maye’s efficiency dipped across four games as he completed 58.3 percent of his throws for 828 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. He added 178 rushing yards and one score in those contests. However, those numbers came against some of the league’s toughest defenses while facing significant pressure from a struggling offensive line that frequently failed to provide adequate protection.
Despite the statistical drop-off, Maye still secured three playoff victories to reach the Super Bowl. He found ways to deliver in critical moments, including a memorable performance in harsh winter conditions in Denver. Several quarterbacks ranked higher than him either missed the postseason entirely or failed to advance as far, underscoring the value of his on-field results when it mattered most.
Former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer offered a much more optimistic assessment in his own quarterback rankings, placing Maye second overall. Hoyer kept Stafford in the top spot, mirroring the previous season’s MVP order, followed by Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and a tie between Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.
Hoyer pointed to both past production and current reports from training camp as justification for his high ranking.
“The reason I go with Drake second is not only what he did last year, but what I’m hearing coming out of Patriots camp right now,” Hoyer said. “A.J. Brown was talking about Drake taking over the meeting room. I was in a room with a guy who did that every day — Tom Brady — and when a quarterback takes ownership like that it can take it to the next level.”
As Maye enters just his third NFL season, his relative youth remains a central theme in every discussion about his place among the league’s best. Some analysts project continued growth and improvement as he gains more experience, while others remain cautious, citing factors like strength of schedule and the need for sustained excellence over multiple years.
This balance between proven talent and untapped potential ensures that debates about Drake Maye’s true ranking are likely to continue well into the upcoming campaign.
