The 2024 NFL Draft will ultimately be defined by the men who went No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3: Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye.
Williams has always been viewed as the guy with the highest ceiling, which is why he went first overall and continues to be held in such high regard despite the fact that his career has been more of a slow burn than many anticipated — though there is no doubt that he has made significant strides.
Daniels once looked like the leader in the clubhouse to be considered the biggest hit of the group, as he led his team to an NFC Championship Game berth as a rookie in 2024 before things started to dip significantly as he made just seven starts after suffering three different injuries as a second-year signal-caller in 2025.
Maye was supposed to be the work in progress, but many would say he has leapfrogged the guys who were selected in front of him after coming up just one first-place vote shy of winning the 2025 MVP and making a trip to Super Bowl LX.
It’s safe to say the conversations comparing these guys aren’t the most important involving any one of them, but they’re about to pick up…
Daniels and Williams were both carted off the field in their respective matchups with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, with the former dislocating his non-throwing elbow and the latter suffering a non-contact lower-body injury — presumably putting both on the shelf for the foreseeable future as their teams remained relatively secretive throughout the day they were injured.
Maye will be around, however, which means the spotlight that is usually reserved for three players will be placed directly on the shoulders of one.
Is he up for that challenge?
Maye hasn’t exactly looked like the same guy early in his third season — he is 37-of-55 with four interceptions and just one touchdown through two games, one of which he directly gave away to the Seattle Seahawks and the other in which he had plenty of pressure taken off against the Pittsburgh Steelers — with there seeming to be some regression in terms of his decision-making and overall confidence in the pocket.
The Patriots can’t exactly afford to have him take a step, though.
A.J. Brown is on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next three weeks after spraining his ankle in the season-opener. Kayshon Boutte was traded after training camp. Stefon Diggs was cut back during the spring. Mike Onwenu, the longest-tenured member of the team and his offensive line, suffered a season-ending injury Sunday. It’s not exactly the roster they had envisioned even two weeks ago, which means leaning on the face of the franchise to help pick up some slack.
“He’s going to be the one that’s going to orchestrate and conduct everything we do, and make sure that everyone believes that the play that we’re running is going to be successful,” New England head coach Mike Vrabel said on Sunday, per Boston.com. “And not every time it is. But he has to be able to take that demeanor and spread it to the football team, throw to the guy that’s open, and make great decisions.
“I’m going to trust his decision; I’m going to trust every player’s decision that has the football, and we’ll continue to keep working. I thought there were some really great throws down the field and some opportunities, and then, I mean, if he doesn’t feel it, he doesn’t feel it.”
If they’re going to get through a stretch that includes matchups at the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and Chicago Bears, this version isn’t going to work.
He needs to be decisive. He needs to inspire confidence. He needs to elevate everyone around him.
He needs to be the guy we saw in 2025.
Because if he doesn’t, the amount of attention he’s about to get will only make the whispers much louder.