Patriots’ new QB ‘not going to be Tom Brady,’ ‘just going to try to be Drake Maye’

After all the trade speculation had subsided, the New England Patriots stayed put at No. 3 and selected a quarterback in the first round for the second time since the Tom Brady era's end.

North Carolina's Drake Maye will succeed Mac Jones, a 2021 first-rounder, as the club's hopeful next franchise quarterback.

Not long after he became a Patriot on Thursday night, Maye made it clear he's not looking to be the next Brady, though, he just wants to set his own path.

"Tom Brady's the G.O.A.T.," Maye said in his post-draft press conference, via team transcript. "It's easy to say that. He's the best that ever played this game. I'm not going to be Tom Brady. So, I'm just going to try to be Drake Maye, and from there, I'm just trying to learn from him, hopefully get to know him a little bit. Other than that, just try to soak it up, be a sponge and try to learn all I can from him. He's the man of that town."

While Maye would love to take some time under the Brady learning tree, he also expects to gain plenty of knowledge from veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Brissett was briefly teammates with Brady in 2016 before he was shipped out of Boston to Indianapolis. Brissett rejoined the Pats this offseason as a likely bridge to their hopeful QB of the future, which is now Maye. Maye knows Brissett a bit already as the two met through Sam Howell, a teammate of Brissett's on the Washington Commanders last year and a former Tar Heels teammate of Maye's.

"I'm just looking forward to getting to learn from him," Maye said. "I know he's an old guy, old vet, and he can still play. So, I'm looking forward to contributing in any way, I'm looking forward to getting to see him, and I know he's the man."

Who will be the man in Week 1 remains to be