Patriots' Maye: 'I'm not going to be Tom Brady'

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is well aware he's playing for the franchise that future Hall of Famer Tom Brady spent two decades with, but he's focused on being himself.

"Brady's the GOAT," Maye said after the draft's first round, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "It's easy to say that. He's the best that ever played this game. I'm not going to be Tom Brady. So, I'm just going to try to be Drake Maye."

While Maye plans to focus on his own game, he hopes to learn from the NFL's all-time passing leader.

"Hopefully get to know (Brady) a little bit," Maye said. "Other than that, just try to soak it up, be a sponge, and try to learn all I can from him. He's the man of that town."

Maye was selected with the No. 3 pick Thursday after two seasons as North Carolina's starter. He threw for 8,018 yards, 63 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions on 64.9% passing over his collegiate career.

Despite his draft slot, Maye could sit behind and learn from Jacoby Brissett to start the season. The 21-year-old is excited to pick up whatever he can from the veteran signal-caller as he acclimates to the NFL.

"I'm just looking forward to getting to learn from him," Maye said. "I know he's an old guy, old vet, and he can still play. So, I'm looking forward to contributing in any way, I'm looking forward to getting to see him, and I know he's the man."

New England owns a 29-38 record in the post-Brady era with one playoff appearance - a wild-card game loss in 2021. Maye plans to make the Patriots playoff contenders again once he takes over the starting job.

"I think going in there as a top-three pick rookie, I think you kind of - just stay humble," Maye said. "Worry about my play on the field, winning games and that's what I'm playing the game for. I love football, and I love winning. I think the biggest thing is that I hate losing. I hate losing in anything I do."