"Best pocket presence": Patriots great Rob Gronkowski makes bold claims about Drake Maye and 2024 QB class

Drake Maye appears to have finally settled into his role as the new franchise quarterback of the New England Patriots. The third pick of the 2024 NFL Draft led the team to a solid start to the season and is looking like the standout quarterback in the 2024 class. On Wednesday, former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski made an apperance on the Up and Adams show. During his appearance, he suggested that Maye was the strongest quarterback out of the 2024 draft class.

"I mean, as of right now, it's leaning that way. And I love Drake Maye as the quarterback, as the best quarterback in this draft class, because he's kind of more of the best pocket presence quarterback there is, you know, and I think that's what makes such a great quarterback in the NFL. You got to have true pocket presence. And Drake Maye brings that to the table better than all those quarterbacks right there. He might not be the most mobile out of all of them, but he's very mobile as well. He's, you know, he's very athletic, too."

During the first five games of the 2025 season, Maye has thrown for 1,261 yards with seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. This jas given the Patriots a 3-2 record, and this included win over the Buffalo Bills at the weekend , a team that is generally seen as Super Bowl contenders.

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His stats from these games are far better than the one put up by some of the other quarterbacks from the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. This was an extremely QB heavy section, with the likes of Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy and Jayden Daniels are all being drafted alongside him.

Maye has outperformed all of these players. However, the injuries sustained by McCarthy and Daniels (with the Commanders quarterback being his closest rival on paper) stopping any meaningful connection.

His closest competitor is likely to be the Atlanta Falcons' Michael Penix Jr., but Maye outperforms him in all categories.

Drake Maye is compared to Tom Brady

Drake Maye's recent success is leading him to be compared with another legendary quarterback who played for the Patriots. This comparison came from Patriots linebacker David Andrews, who told NBC Sports Boston the following:

"But I think what I'm trying to say is, hopefully now these pass-catchers are seeing what Drake's doing, and you're going to see the Tom Brady type of effect where people are like, 'OK, I could go to so-and-so (team) for this and come to the Patriots for this. I'm not just going to take that offer."

There will always be comparisons between Brady and whoever is the current Patriots quarterback is. Luckily, Maye is playing to a similar standard to Brady, and if this continues, we could expect the same level of success

Edited by Ben Tredinnick