Jerod Mayo, Eliot Wolf hope drafting Drake Maye leads New England Patriots into next era of success

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It's almost Maye day: 28 hours before the most important New England Patriots draft decision in nearly 25 years. On this Wednesday afternoon, the sun shines on Gillette Stadium without a cloud in the sky, a rarity this spring -- and it feels like a symbol of hope.

One clear sign of the Patriots' new era is the presence of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, who welcomes me into his office for a pre-draft chat with a disarming smile and a bro hug, displaying infectious excitement. It's his first draft in the big chair. He's replacing arguably the greatest coach in NFL history -- Bill Belichick -- and he inherited a roster that, largely devoid of star talent, screamed rebuild. Yet, the 38-year-old Mayo is at ease; he's doing it his way. He tells me he doesn't feel any pressure or stress.

"Our legacy will be defined by and tied to the player who we draft at (No.) 3," Mayo told me. "I know I asked the fans for patience. But they won't give me patience. I'm good with it. We're ready for the challenge."

New England wasn't on the clock yet, but internally, their pick was in. In the lead-up to the draft, there was rampant public speculation about what the team might do, but the fact is, a small group of key Patriots football figures, led by director of scouting/de facto general manager Eliot Wolf, decided weeks ago the team was comfortable with any of its top three quarterbacks: USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels and North Carolina's Drake Maye. So if the first two picks went as they expected, they planned to draft Maye with the No. 3 pick -- and that's exactly how things played out.

The Patriots left open the possibility of a trade-back if they were blown away with a potentially franchise-defining