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**Optimized Alt Text:** New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye smiles on the field before an NFL game during the 2025 season. **Optimized Caption:** Patriots quarterback Drake Maye received a surprising boost in a new ESPN analyst ranking that placed him ahead of multiple more established NFL star quarterbacks.

Less that four months after a disastrous Super Bowl defeat, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye received a major offseason boost with just a week to go before OTAs begin for the defending AFC champions.

A new analysis from a prominent NFL expert reinforced growing expectations that the second-year quarterback is already emerging as one of the league’s elite young passers. Top ESPN analyst Mina Kimes ranked Drake Maye fifth among all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks, placing the New England Patriots star above veterans like Justin Herbert and Jared Goff in her prestigious, if always controversial, annual QB rankings.

The timing of the praise from Kimes is especially meaningful with Patriots OTAs starting May 27 and pressure mounting on New England to prove last season’s championship run was not a one-year fluke but the beginning of a new Patriots dynasty led by Maye.

Kimes Puts Drake Maye in Elite Company

Kimes unveiled her rankings on a recent episode of her ESPN podcast. The analyst drafted all 32 starting quarterbacks using a three-year outlook, with Patrick Mahomes going first overall, followed by Josh Allen at No. 2 and Lamar Jackson at No. 3. Joe Burrow landed at No. 4.

Then came Maye at No. 5, a spot that had belonged to Justin Herbert for several consecutive years running.

“Drake Maye… he was so obviously to me last season what made that Patriots offense,” Kimes said on the podcast. “Statistically, he was the best quarterback in football last year during the regular season. This is a three-year timeline, and I’m picking this young quarterback to continue getting better.”

Kimes went further, drawing a physical comparison that will resonate with any fan who has watched Maye play. She pegged him at roughly 95 percent of Josh Allen’s height, 92 percent of his weight, and 91 percent of his movement skills.

“He is the sort of athlete that always gets drafted top-five or top-10 at quarterback, period,” Kimes said. “There’s no reason to be anything less than shiningly gloriously optimistic about Maye moving forward.”

Maye’s 2025 Stats Made Patriots Case Undeniable

The numbers that powered Maye into that conversation were not subtle. He completed a league-best 72 percent of his passes, according to NBC Sports Boston‘s Justin Leger, while also leading the NFL in passer rating (113.5), Completion Percentage Over Expected, and Expected Points Added. New England finished 14-3 before making it to the Super Bowl only to come up short against the Seattle Seahawks.

Those numbers were good enough to make Maye the NFL MVP runner-up, losing to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford by just five points in the final voting tally, 366 to 361, with each man holding 23 or 24 first-place votes respectively.

Heading into 2026, Maye must answer whether he can sustain that level. Kimes does not buy the skepticism. She noted that fans have overreacted to Maye’s postseason struggles.

The Athletic’s Chad Graff identified Maye as one of New England’s top offseason winners entering 2026, noting that it is exceptionally rare for a young quarterback to reach MVP-candidate status, advance to a conference title game, and then return the following season with an upgraded supporting cast and the same offensive coaching staff intact.

A potential blockbuster trade for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown looms as a further accelerant. If that deal materializes, the Patriots would be handing their 23-year-old franchise quarterback one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL.