New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots have their new franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. How many NFL teams wish they rostered the rising star instead?
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky caused a stir on Thursday’s “First Take” when ranking the top-five quarterbacks drafted since 2020 that he’d most want to start a franchise around. To the surprise of his colleagues, the former quarterback put Maye in his No. 1 spot.
Orlovsky placed Jalen Hurts second, followed by Jayden Daniels, Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud.
“I love this guy,” Orlovsky said of Maye. “I loved calling his games. I fell in love with the character. I fell in love with the traits. He’s taking a rebuilding organization, rebuilding football team, and having them as legit contenders in the lead for the MVP in the NFL right now.”
His co-panelists questioned the bold opinion. Mina Kimes called out Orlovsky for praising Maye after not crediting him for New England’s success in an earlier segment. Ryan Clark couldn’t believe his colleague omitted Joe Burrow, leading Orlovsky to cite injury concerns.
Stephen A. Smith called the list “trash,” panning Orlovsky for not choosing Hurts after he just led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl title. Orlovsky gave a simple reason for why he prefers Maye.
“Because I think Drake’s just a more talented passer,” he said.
Orlovsky’s declaration might not be a hot take if Maye sustains his stellar play. Last year’s No. 3 overall selection boasts a 113.9 quarterback rating with 8.9 yards per attempt and a 71.7 completion percentage.
Maye will look to guide the Patriots to their eighth straight win when they host the New York Jets on Thursday night.
