In sports, there’s arguably no position more important to a team than a quarterback to football.

That’s why every year, you always see NFL teams trying to upgrade the quarterback positions. This takes the form of midseason trades, free agent bidding and – every April – the famed NFL Draft.

Last year, quarterbacks were once again the talk of the NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers took Bryce Young first overall out of Alabama, while the Houston Texans selected C.J. Stroud second overall out of Ohio State – an order that was highly debated up until Draft Day.

This year was no different, with the 2024 NFL Draft’s first three picks being used on quarterbacks. USC’s Caleb Williams went first overall to the much-improved Chicago Bears, LSU’s Jayden Daniels went second to the Washington Commanders, while our very own North Carolina Tar Heels star Drake Maye was the New England Patriots’ third overall selection.

New England hopes that Maye can be its next franchise quarterback, but the task won’t be easy, as he follows in the footsteps of the football GOAT Tom Brady. Some say that NFL veteran Jacoby Brissett is more pro-ready than Maye, including Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, but there’s also a fellow young NFL star who recently highlighted Maye’s pro-readiness.

This is quite the compliment coming from Stroud, who established himself as Houston’s franchise quarterback from Day One. Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, leading the Texans to their first playoff victory since 2019.

Maye was quite the standout at UNC, winning ACC Rookie and Player of the Year honors in 2022. He finished his time in Chapel Hill with 8,018 passing yards, 63 passing touchdowns to just 16 interceptions, 1209 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, including a team-high 698 rushing yards in 2022.

Maye and Stroud will face each other on Sunday, Oct. 13 in Foxborough, Mass. Will Maye be starting then?

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Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire