Drake Maye didn't dominate in his rookie season like Jayden Daniels did, but he was able to make the most of what he had with the New England Patriots. The Patriots' supporting cast essentially set him up to fail, but Maye did not fail. He proved he should be considered their quarterback of the future. Now, it was up to the Patriots to surround him with better talent to win more games in 2025. Well, early returns on Kyle Williams suggest they've done that.
Williams was selected in the third round by the Patriots, and it's safe to say he's made quite the first impression. Whether he's showing off electric route running or making contested catches, Williams has been in the middle of everything.
Drafting Williams and adding him to this suddenly revamped offense should have Patriots fans excited about what's to come.
Patriots are giving Drake Maye complimentary pieces he lacked in his rookie year
The Patriots refused to start Drake Maye in Week 1 of his rookie season largely because they did not have a viable supporting cast to surround him with. They wound up throwing him into the fire less than a month later, and while he impressed given what he had to work with, New England still went 4-13 in large part due to their lackluster offense. Well, Williams looks awesome, and he isn't even the best wideout the Patriots added.
While they missed out on Brandon Aiyuk last offseason and failed to convince Chris Godwin to leave Tampa Bay this offseason, they were able to sign Stefon Diggs to a three-year deal. I'm not here to say Diggs is going to be among the league leaders in receiving as he once was, but can he be a reliable target for Maye to look at often? Absolutely, if he can stay on the field, of course.
To put it simply, the Patriots are going from having DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte being Maye's two best receivers last season to having Diggs and Williams to prioritize this season. That's a major upgrade, and there's a good amount of depth to get excited about, too.
The Patriots still have work to do with their receiver corps and their offensive line, but where this team is now compared to the start of the 2024 campaign is night and day. Maye now has enough to work with to actually win some games and prove that he's a force to be reckoned with in a loaded AFC.