👻 Our First 2024 Draft Smokescreen?

If you are debating between which QB to start you don’t have a starting QB…

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Underdog Fantasy:

The Patriots’ decision with the third overall pick in the 2024 Draft should be very easy:

You take whoever is left between Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels and usher in a new era of New England football with a potential franchise QB.

But as we’ve learned over the years, nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Patriots.

New head coach Jerod Mayo seems to be picking up right where Bill Belichick left off with the games and obfuscation:

Sure, Mac Jones was a flop and the Patriots could secure a war chest if they decided to trade back, but that would be very irresponsible.

Jones was the 15th overall pick in 2021 and both Maye and Daniels are considered much, much better prospects (check out Ian’s profile of Maye below, by the way).

The Patriots have historically loved trading down, but to what end? The goal will always be to land a franchise QB and it’s hard to imagine a better near-term setup to do so than picking No. 3 in a class with three clear top QB prospects.

In this piece on NFL.com, Mayo gushes about the newly-signed Jacoby Brissett and says he could be their starter this year. Brissett is, admittedly, an above-average backup QB, but the key word there is backup.

The Patriots need to stop screwing around, draft Maye or Daniels, and then select WRs until they are blue in the face.

⚾ America's Real Pastime is Drafting on Underdog!

The Regular Season is almost here, it's the perfect time to join the fun!

The Solo Shot, The Bunt 3 and The Dinger...are open on Underdog Fantasy and with the REAL opening day this week you should start drafting now!

Looking for Football? The Big Board and Bigger Board are here and it's never too early to start drafting for football season!

Sign up today and Underdog Fantasy will match up to $100 for your first deposit! Seriously, sign up TODAY to get a 100% deposit match of up to $100.

Good luck, and start drafting on Underdog Fantasy!

📺 The biggest remaining team needs…and the best fits for fantasy.

🏴‍☠️ An update on the Raiders QB battle. They better draft someone.

💸 The Titans are going ALL-IN. What an offseason for them.

🤔 Will Justin Fields have a chance to compete? Tomlin clarifies some earlier comments.

🐬 Watch Tyreek get cooked by one of his campers. Stick to WR, I suppose.

💪 A little early for “best shape of their lives” posts, eh? Whatever.

🥊 Could Sam Howell beat out Geno Smith? Mike Macdonald weighs in.

The Draft is a month away, so it’s time to cram on these rookies. Today, Ian breaks down one of the best QB prospects expected to go at the top of the draft…

📝 Drake Maye Scouting Report

• Underdog ADP: 151 overall (QB22), rookie QB3

Maye arrived at North Carolina as a five-star recruit and next-big-thing inside of a program that has sent Mitchell Trubisky and Sam Howell to starting NFL QB heights over the past seven years.

Obviously, neither of those latter QBs exactly took over the league, but it’s hard not to be enamored about Maye’s ability to buck the trend after his three seasons in Charlotte. His 2022 campaign (4,321 pass yards, 38 TDs) was a bit more prolific than the encore in 2023 (3,608 yards, 24 TDs), but maybe that’s just life after losing your top-two WRs to the NFL (Josh Downs, Antoine Green) and dealing with a pretty meh offensive line (and sore ankle) all season long.

Seriously: Maye’s supporting cast last season was the worst of the big-six QBs and a bit of a night-and-day difference when watching the group.

Still, even the snap crash back to reality (ope, there goes gravity) wasn’t enough to stop Maye from landing PFF’s best overall passing grade over the past two seasons, even if his more traditional efficiency metrics weren’t quite as stellar.

Maye among 89 Power-5 QBs with 300-plus dropbacks 2021-23:

• PFF pass grade: 91.6 (No. 1)

• Passer rating: 105.4 (No. 25)

• Yards per attempt: 8.4 (No. 26)

• Adjusted completion rate: 75.3% (No. 24)

9-5 and 8-5 records in 2022 and 2023 reflect the reality that Maye didn’t exactly turn this program into world-beaters, but (like Caleb Williams), the difference between these two QB’s defenses and what the rest of the top-2024 signal-callers were working with is pretty much night and day.

The two-time team captain leaves North Carolina as someone fully expected to be off the board within the first few picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. Let’s dive into why.