New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots landed their franchise quarterback when selecting Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. One of the teams above them reportedly didn’t give Maye a fair shake.
Go Long’s Tyler Dunne published a three-part series depicting dysfunction within the Chicago Bears organization under general manager Ryan Poles. Dunne’s second article focused on a pre-draft process that one scout called “a rigged trial” in favor of using the No. 1 pick on Caleb Williams.
Poles reportedly focused on the worst footage from Maye’s college career when breaking down film.
“Clicker in hand, at the center of the room, Poles repeatedly hit rewind on errant passes and it didn’t take long for those echoes of ‘Geez!’ to turn into outright laughter,” Dunne wrote. “Poles and his confidants were not interested in sparking a substantive conversation about the North Carolina quarterback. This draft meeting resembled a bully in the high school cafeteria seeking toadies — any veneer of scouting objectivity was shed.”
Poles allegedly made snide comments throughout the session, telling scouts that watching Maye’s game film “makes my chest tight.” A scout likened the room to a “pack of hyenas” following the GM’s lead for their own job safety.
Chris White, Chicago’s assistant director of pro scouting, reportedly defended Maye. Noting that the Tar Heels were finishing the 2023 season with injured wide receivers, White asked to see tape from another game and noted some positive plays, which Poles didn’t rewind.
Poles continued to criticize negative plays and agreed when an area scout asserted that he didn’t think Maye was any good. The Bears reportedly didn’t assign a first-round grade to Maye before choosing Williams over Jayden Daniels.
“They made fun of him,” a Bears scout in the room told Dunne. “They laughed. The GM laughed Drake Maye off the screen and cut the tape off.”
The Patriots don’t play the Bears this season, but Maye and his teammates may remember this report for when they meet in 2026.
