Is Drake Maye the best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft class?

The obvious answer is Jayden Daniels based on the gaudy numbers he's posted for the 7-4 Washington Commanders. But there's a compelling case for Maye, and it revolves around his supporting cast (or lack thereof) on the New England Patriots.

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Maye has racked up 1,236 passing yards and nine touchdown passes and six interceptions through six starts with the Patriots. He's also added 260 rushing yards and a rushing TD on just 28 carries, leading all NFL QBs with 9.3 yards per rush.

Now let's consider the context: Maye is excelling despite playing in front of arguably the NFL's worst offensive line -- and one of the worst o-lines any first-round rookie QB has had in the past two decades.

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The folks at Football Insights tracked every first-round rookie QB's dropback EPA (Expected Points Added) compared to their team's pass block grade (during their rookie year) from 2006 to 2024. And as it turns out, Maye's Patriots have the worst pass block grade of any team on the list -- by a wide margin.

Despite the awful play of his o-line, Maye still has a positive EPA per dropback, putting him in the same category of QBs like C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Deshaun Watson, who found success as rookies in the face of bad o-line play. Daniels has the highest EPA per dropback of any rookie QB on this list, but as the chart illustrates, Washington's offensive line has been significantly better than New England's (if still below average) in terms of passing blocking.

If you need more evidence that the odds are stacked against Maye, consider these two charts from NFL reporter Ben Baldwin:

The first chart tells us that the Patriots' pass protection and win rate along the offensive line are worse (by far) than any team outside the New Orleans Saints. The second highlights that New England ranks dead last in the NFL in "true pass set grade," another indicator of pass protection.

That's all to say Maye essentially has been thrown to the wolves behind a patchwork offensive line featuring three starters who were released by their original teams at the beginning of the season (Demontrey Jacobs, Ben Brown and Michael Jordan).

And he's not only surviving, but he's thriving, thanks in part to his ability to escape pressure and make throws on the run.

According to ESPN.com's Benjamin Solak, Maye has a 31.3 percent first down/touchdown rate when under pressure, which ranks fourth in the NFL among qualified QBs. He was pressured on nearly half of his dropbacks Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams (22 of 46) but completed 13 of 19 passes for 158 yards when under pressure, per our Phil Perry.

New England's struggles along the offensive line played a big role in Mac Jones' failure in Foxboro. Maye looks like a different beast, however, and his success behind a similarly bad o-line in 2024 suggests he has real franchise QB potential going forward.