The Patriots sent a heavy contingent of staffers from their organization to UNC’s Pro Day. Mayo and Van Pelt were just two of nine reported Patriots members seen at the event at Chapel Hill that day, with director of scouting and chief roster decision maker Eliot Wolf also attending. The team reportedly met with Maye prior to his workout.

Once Maye took the field, Patriots staffers seemed to be impressed by the quarterback’s arm, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Cerrone Battle.

“Eliot Wolf of all people crept up behind him and was standing right behind the UNC coaches and all those guys,” Battle said of Maye’s Pro Day on “Felger & Mazz,” noting that there were “oohs” and “ahhs” from those in attendance. “He was the only one that got a little closer. He definitely looked like he was a little interested.”

Earlier in the week, Mayo shared some positive words about Maye. He told reporters at the NFL’s league meetings that their interview at the combine with the quarterback prospect was “fantastic” although they’re still doing more work on him.

“He brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability,” Mayo said. “And also the exciting part about a guy like Drake Maye is the ceiling. Like, there is really no ceiling with a guy like that. Now, in saying that when we’re trying to put together this roster, I know a lot of people look at the ceiling, but you also got to kind of see how low is the floor. How low is the floor?”

Entering the 2023 season, Maye seemed to be the consensus No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, sitting behind Caleb Williams for the top spot. Jayden Daniels’s emergence might have changed that, but Maye’s still been viewed as a likely top-three pick in this year’s draft.

With the Bears almost certainly likely to draft Caleb Williams, the Patriots still have to see if the Commanders (or another team) select Maye with the No. 2 pick in order for him to become available to them. Daniels is currently a slight favorite to be the No. 2 pick, but Maye seemed happy to meet with Washington as well.

“It was good,” Maye told reporters of his meeting with the Commanders. “Sitting there with [general manager Adam Peters], Coach [Dan] Quinn – a great dude, great people. I’m excited to see what’s in store. They’ve got a great thing going up there. It’s pretty close to home.

“The Commanders are another historic ballclub. They’ve had some good years. They’ve got a chance to get back up there.”