Last year, the New England Patriots drafted North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye third overall. Maye came into last season as the second-string quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett.

Maye’s first NFL start came in a 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 6. The 23-year-old quarterback made 11 more starts, finishing with a 3-9 record while throwing for 2,276 yards and 15 touchdowns.

A second season for a quarterback is always critical, and that’s why the Patriots hired Josh McDaniels to be the offensive coordinator and brought in four-time Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs.

Maye has the tools and players around him to take a jump in his second season, similar to other quarterbacks who have done so before, such as Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow.

The NFL is high on two second-year quarterbacks: the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels and the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix. CBS Sports NFL analyst Mike Renner thinks Maye is going to be the quarterback who breaks out this year.

“Not many quarterbacks in NFL history have been poised for a big leap in year two than Drake Maye,” Renner wrote.

“That’s because the Patriots have seemingly put a brand new team around him over the course of the offseason.

The Patriots’ final 53-man roster features four new starting offensive linemen, four new receivers and a new running back.

Maye already showed an uncanny ability to create something out of nothing as a rookie; now he hopefully will have some help.”

New England’s projected win total is set at 8.5 games, according to CBS Sports. If the Patriots want to get over the total and win nine games, Maye is going to need to show a lot of improvement this season.

A Maye breakout season could lead to the Patriots making their first playoff appearance since 2021, when rookie quarterback Mac Jones led them there.