Notes on the Patriots’ QB situation, problems drafting wide receivers, rookie wideouts getting some All-Pro help, and more.

The NFL is in its slowest period, but that does not mean there is nothing to talk about when it comes to the league and the New England Patriots.

Granted, the exciting days of training camp are still a few weeks away, but the pro football world still does not keep spinning.

So, with that said, let’s clean out the notebook from the week that was. Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.

National media jumping aboard the Drake Maye hype train

Despite going just 4-13, not all was bad for the Patriots in 2024. Arguably the biggest positive from an otherwise underwhelming season was the development of third overall draft pick Drake Maye, who took over as starter in Week 6 and never looked back.

Maye still had his fair share of rookie mistakes, but the arrow was pointing in the right direction. Heading into his sophomore campaign, there is therefore plenty of excitement surrounding the young QB — and don’t just take it from us: the national media as well has high hopes for Maye.

The latest to express those came via our friends at Windy City Gridiron, who ranked the five-year quarterback outlook for all 32 franchises.

With Maye leading the way, the Patriots checked in at No. 10:

10. New England Patriots – Drake Maye (22)

Maye showed plenty of promise during his rookie year. He’s going to see plenty of changes around him in year two as he has a new coach in Mike Vrabel, a new offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels, and if everything clicks, Maye and the Patriots should be one of the most improved teams in the league.

This ranking follows similar assessments from earlier in the offseason. Back in May, for example, NFL analyst Ollie Connolly selected Maye as the 11th best passer in the NFL heading into the next three seasons.

“I think Drake Maye is special. I think he’s going to prove to be special,” Connolly said on the Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny. “What is the special trait? He has special arm talent, whatever the platform, however muddy the pocket. He can rip it to anywhere on the field. Special as a runner, I think, on less of designed carries, more creativity that I thought we would have in the league. I think he’s a truly special one.”

Maye also was ranked 11th by the 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta earlier in the offseason, as well as in the “promising prospects” tier by Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports:

The New England Patriots didn’t ruin Maye’s confidence or mobility despite surrounding the rookie with measly protection and weapons in 2024. Now the North Carolina product has Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels calling the shots, with added support across the lineup. A solid leap is expected here.

Granted, not everybody is similarly high on Maye relative to his peers — Pro Football Focus has him ranked only 22nd, for instance — but the consensus between all those rankings still remains the same clear: that Maye is expected to only get better, and that the Patriots’ offseason investments on offense should help him do so fairly quickly.

“He was in the worst situation of any quarterback in football last year,” said Mina Kimes. “From play-calling to offensive line to weapons, no one had it worse than Drake Maye. The fact that you still saw these flashes of brilliance and some of his capabilities is very exciting if you’re a Patriots fan.”

That view is not just one shared by the local New England media, but indeed analysts and reporters from across the NFL landscape.

Wide receiver busts leave Alonzo Highsmith looking for answers

Signing Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins and drafting Kyle Williams in the third round, the Patriots made some big investments in their wide receiver group this offseason.

Those investments were necessary because the team’s 2024 draft haul at the position — second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk and fourth-rounder Javon Baker — is facing an unclear future after a disappointing rookie campaign.

Polk and Baker flaming out is no guarantee, but the early signs have been worrying.

That is especially true given New England’s struggles drafting and developing wide receivers through the years.

So, what’s the problem? For senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith, it is not one easily identified.

“That position historically in the NFL has been a hard position to draft,” Highsmith told Fanatics Sports. “I can’t give you all the answers why some kids make it and some kids don’t. We’re all looking for guys that are fast; we’re all looking for guys that can catch the football. If you look throughout the NFL, I’ve heard reporters say, ‘This guy’s a can’t-miss receiver’ or ‘This guy is this or that,’ and he gets to the NFL and things don’t work out for the player.

“I don’t think we’re doing anything differently than any other team, or the other teams are doing anything differently than we do. It’s tough. I don’t think anybody could have predicted the success of some receivers, and I don’t think anybody could have predicted the lack of success by other receivers. There are a lot of contributing factors that go to success in life, success on the football field, and there are just some things — we can’t account for injuries, we can’t account for quarterback situation sometime. There are so many contributing factors.”

The Patriots’ track record at wide receiver has been concerning for a number of years now.

For every under-the-radar find such as Julian Edelman (2009), Jakobi Meyers (2019) or DeMario Douglas (2023) there have been multiple busts including high-profile prospects such as former first-round pick N’Keal Harry (2019).

“You click all those boxes, and sometimes you still wonder why it didn’t work,” said Highsmith, who joined the Patriots last offseason before the team picked Polk and Baker in the draft. “Those are the things that confound us in pro football, they confound us in life — why some people are successful, and some people aren’t successful.

“It all comes down to good fortune, work ethic, right attitude, all those sort of things; right place, right time in life, right quarterback, right offensive coordinators. There are so many factors that I really can’t my finger to one thing other than, ‘He had all the physical traits, he was a good person, he worked hard.’ If it didn’t work out, I don’t know why.”

Patriots rookie receivers get All-Pro help

Speaking of Patriots receivers, two of their 2025 rookies — the aforementioned Kyle Williams as well as UDFA Jeremiah Webb — recently worked out at the UCLA campus alongside some established NFL veterans. One of those was two-time first-team All-Pro selection Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets, one of the best cornerbacks in football.

Williams and Webb are set to face off against Gardner twice this season, with the Patriots hosting the Jets in Week 11 and traveling to East Rutherford in Week 17.

Robert Kraft reacts to Lakers’ record sale

When Robert Kraft bought the Patriots in 1994 he paid $172 million for the moribund franchise. While adjusting for inflation puts that number at $373 million, it still pales in comparison to the recent sale of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers: Mark Walter paid a record $10 billion to buy a majority stake in the organization.

For Kraft, that sale further strengthens the value of his own portfolio — but little more.

“It’s nice, but to me it’s like your house going up in value,” he said at Fanatics Fest in New York City. “In my lifetime and I believe my children’s lifetime, we’re keeping control.

“It’s nice, and I think back to Jerry Buss buying the Lakers, I owned a team in World Team Tennis called the Boston Lobsters and he owned the L.A. Strings, and we were partners together then. He was a great brand manager and we were great friends, and I think Jeanie Buss has done a great job. I’m happy for them, and happy for everyone who owns a sports franchise.”

Patriots earn award for 2024 schedule release video

While reactions to the Patriots’ 2025 schedule release videos were mixed, there was no questioning the quality of the team’s 2024 video. The team’s homage to Good Will Hunting, titled Good Jules Hunting and featuring the likes of Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Ernie Adams, and others, received plenty of praise.

It also now received an award: the Patriots won the Best Short-Form Video award at this year’s Hashtag Sports Awards for the short movie.

Director/co-writer Junhee Chung, co-writer Alexandra Francisco, and art director Veronica Behonick accepted the award on behalf of the Patriots’ creative team.

Setting up the week ahead

Despite the calendar flipping from June to July and training camp being only four weeks away, there is not much going on in the NFL these days.

As a natural consequence, our coverage here at Pats Pulpit will also be comparatively toned down.

Of course, the NFL is anything but predictable which means that news can always be right around the corner. So, make sure to tune back in to stay up to date, follow our Patriots player profile series, or join our weekly debates.