The future is bright for the Patriots, and it’s not just people in New England who think that.

One of the important parts about the NFL Scouting Combine is the ability to speak to people around the league.

The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan gathered intel about the Patriots and revealed to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth what the buzz is about Drake Maye and New England.

“Top five, he’s a stud. They think that’s the ceiling,” Callahan told Barth on the “Patriots Hub Podcast” on Friday. “It’s pretty universal from people I’ve spoken to, just what they think. He’s a stud. … They love what they see. They love what they have. Some people said… it’s kind of a scary duo. People in the AFC are like, Vrabel, Maye, they’re cooking now. It’s just going to be a matter of time.”

Those sentiments should excite fans, but the process to getting to that point starts this offseason.

Vrabel and Eliot Wolf will need to make the right moves in free agency and the draft to help Maye and rebuild the Patriots.

However, it should be encouraging for fans to hear that the rest of the NFL is fearful that Vrabel will be successful in making New England a contender again.