"Drake Maye is a sure thing" - Bill Simmons hails Patriots rookie as franchise's savior in post-Tom Brady glory days era

The New England Patriots' first season in the 21st century without Bill Belichick hasn't gone as swimmingly as they envisioned. The team is 3-12 under rookie head coach Jerod Mayo and needs one victory in their final two games to match their underwhelming win total from last season.

The only silver lining in the franchise's worst campaign of this century has been rookie Drake Maye. The quarterback has fared well in dismal circumstances and Patriots fans, like Bill Simmons, are excited about the team's future largely due to their young signal-caller.

The analyst has enjoyed watching Maye play more than any athlete who has represented Boston since the turn of the millennium. On the Bill Simmons Podcast, he raved about the rookie, saying:

"Drake Maye is a sure thing. I love him... I'll go further, my favorite Boston rookie of the 21st century. I'm all in... I loved Mookie Betts. I have him (Maye) above Mookie Betts. And I love Mookie Betts."

Simmons claimed that the Patriots were fortunate they landed a quarterback as talented as Maye to be Tom Brady's successor as the face of the franchise. He added:

"It's so hard to get a quarterback, it's like the f**king single hardest thing to do. You could go decades without one. I really thought after Brady, we'd have no chance to ever have one again. And now we have this f**king guy, fell out of the sky. It's amazing. I am happy to die in this hill."

Drake Maye stats: Rookie QB's impressive debut season

New England Patriots Drake Maye gets ready to throw a pass to a receiver during first half action at Highmark Stadium where the Buffalo Bills hosted the New England Patriots - Source: Imagn

Drake Maye started the year as the Patriots' backup quarterback behind veteran Jakoby Brissett. However, only five games into the season, head coach Jerod Mayo handed over the reins to the rookie.

In his first ten career starts, the rookie has 2,137 passing, yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 389 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns. The numbers may not seem impressive but that's a byproduct of his difficult circumstances.

The Patriots do not have any standout receivers, and their offensive line is one of the worst in the league. Per Pro Football Network, New England's O-line ranks 30th in pass block win rate, and 31st in run block win rate. It allows the third-highest quarterback pressure rate and the fourth-worst sack rate.

In these dire circumstances, Maye is averaging 213.7 passing yards in starts. To put it into perspective, Brissett, who is playing in his ninth NFL season, averaged 139.2 passing yards per game in his five starts.

The Patriots did not give their rookie quarterback the tools to thrive. Yet, he has been impressive, which explains why the team's fans, like Bill Simmons, are excited about the franchise's future with Maye at the forefront.