Jerod Mayo appears to shade Bill Belichick over Drake Maye pick

It would be difficult to find a New England Patriots fan who isn't more optimistic about the future of the franchise after the 2024 NFL Draft. That, of course, begins with their hopeful franchise quarterback, Drake Maye, who was selected with the No. 3 overall pick out of North Carolina and now comes in as the hopeful savior of a team that whiffed on Mac Jones in trying to navigate the post-Tom Brady world.

Leading up to draft night, there was a ton of speculation about what the Patriots woudl do with the No. 3 pick. There was no shortage of trade offers, including most notably from the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, and some wondered if New England would bit. Obviously, they didn't and now Maye is the new signal-caller in Foxborough.

But new head coach Jerod Mayo offered some enlightening insights into the process, namely what he and Elliot Wolf's predecessor, Bill Belichick, might've done in this situation. And frankly, it seems like a bit of a dig at the legendary former Patriots head coach. Speaking with NFL.com's Cameron Wolfe, Mayo said that Belichick would've traded back in the same situation for more picks:

"With Bill, we probably would have traded back to get more picks. Our path for so long has been accumulating more picks because it was our process. And we still believe in that," Mayo said. "But we also believe when you're at a position at No. 3, you have to get it right and get a cornerstone player."

Patriots fans, hearing that, are probably thankful that Belichick wasn't in charge of this draft.

Jerod Mayo: Patriots would've passed on Drake Maye, traded back with Belichick

Mayo was diplomatic in choosing his words, noting that the accumulation of draft capital was at the core of the process then and now. Having said that, pointing this out does also indicate that there is a bit of a sea change ongoing with the new Patriots regime, one less afraid to deviate from the status quo for the right player and, projecting a bit, perhaps the right price as well.

And to be sure, the Patriots were reportedly underwhelmed or at least believed that trade offers for the No. 3 pick weren't enough to move off of taking Maye, a marriage of belief in the prospect and the value that the selection that could land the UNC quarterback held was high. They weren't fully rooted in a "Maye or bust" mentality, but it would've taken something more than what was offered to get that done.

Overall, though, Patriots fans should come away from this with high hopes for the future. For as much success as Belichick oversaw, that had dissipated in a changing NFL over the past few years, in large part due to some pretty notable draft shortcomings. That's something that Mayo and Wolf are clearly focused on changing, and the Maye pick and everything that surrounded the process seems wholly emblematic of that.