After picking Drake Maye with the third overall pick, the Patriots had one mission in the 2024 NFL draft—give Maye some real offensive weapons. They grabbed Ja’Lynn Polk at No. 37—after trading down—because he was a smooth route-runner with reliable hands and a high football IQ. Then came Javon Baker in the fourth round, a big-play machine from UCF who averaged nearly 22 yards per catch in college.

On paper, it looked like a solid plan to fix their receiver woes. But fast forward to the end of the season, and things didn’t go as planned. Polk managed just 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns before landing on injured reserve. Baker? He had one catch—for 12 yards—in 11 games. YIKES! Talk about a rookie duo that was supposed to spark the offense but ended up being a non-factor.

Fast forward one more time, and now that both the receivers are entering the sophomore season along with Maye, the second-year QB addressed his expectations from Polk and Baker. “Those guys came up and came in with me. They were drafted with me, and we took it upon ourselves at rookies to hopefully kind of set up a good standard,” Maye said. 

“And I think I’ve seen from them – kind of learning a new offense, I think they’re ahead of where they were the first couple weeks last year learning a new offense.” See, when the Patriots drafted Maye, they gave him time to develop behind the starting QB, Jacoby Brissett, for the first few weeks. But in the case of Polk? Well, that was the messy part.

The Patriots tossed the kid into the deep end before he really had his feet under him. Patriots exec Eliot Wolf straight-up admitted they “maybe put too much on his plate early” when it came to Polk’s rookie season. The result? 14 games, 7 starts, and the rookie wideout wrapped up his season with just 12 receptions for 87 yards in his bank. And Baker? The former UCF wideout had talent, no doubt. But the little things kept tripping him up.

OC Alex Van Pelt simply addressed the issue, stating he needed to lock in on the basics—like lining up right and running clean routes. Even former HC Jerod Mayo wasn’t shy about calling out his shaky execution, especially on special teams. Plus, if you add some off-field issues to it, that was the end of an embarrassing season for the rookie. Long story short: they just couldn’t trust him to stay on-script. But things are changing in the Patriots’ receiving room, especially after the signing of Stefon Diggs.

To top that off, Drake Maye seems confident with his wideouts—literally. “So I think they kind of [know], ‘I gotta be on my stuff.’ Be in the right spot, know what to do. And that’s just half of it, making plays is the next part. So I think you definitely see kind of a get-up from them and look forward to getting them into camp and seeing what they can do.” All in all, let bygones be bygones, the second-year wideouts are surely looking to flip the scripts in the 2025 season.

While Maye’s been setting the bar for his receivers, Eliot Wolf’s now flipped it—laying out exactly what he expects from his rookie QB, too.

Elliot Wolf sees a leader in Drake Maye

Earlier this year, when the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach, he straight up admitted Drake Maye as one of the reasons why he wanted to be in New England. “I see a young, athletic, talented, full-of-potential player,” Vrabel said. “Excited to build this team around (him) and a large part of the reason why I wanted to be here.” As a rookie, Maye lacked a top-tier coaching staff, and there’s no denying that.

And now, ever since Vrabel joined the franchise, the New England team is all in making moves this offseason to help Maye be more productive during the 2025 season. At first, they added Stefon Diggs, tackle Morgan Moses, and wide receiver Mack Hollins on their roster. And just last week, they drafted tackle Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Kyle Williams, and center Jared Wilson, in their first four picks.

The way things are shaping up, it’s safe to say the Patriots are looking to flip the scripts with Maye in the 2025 season. On Thursday, Wolf stooped by on SiriusXM NFL Radio, and stated that he wants Maye to take a leadership role. “Drake’s been a consummate teammate and worker,” Wolf sai. “I think that’s the first thing that stands out. He also has some talent, so any time you can combine the three of those things you’ve got a chance to be pretty good.”

“He’s come in, just put his head down and worked. I think one area I know he’s going to take a step forward and has already is in his leadership. As a rookie, maybe you feel like it’s not your place to speak up but those times are over for him now. There’s going to be a lot of people looking to him for those leadership moments and he’s certainly up to the task.” Maye has hopes from his receivers. The front office, obviously, has hopes from their second-year quarterback.

And if all goes well, the 22-year-old QB will become a centerpiece of the team’s success.