Bill Belichick offered an honest assessment of Drake Maye after the New England Patriots selected the North Carolina quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The former Patriots head coach heaped praise on Maye but also noted the young signal-caller needs to improve his footwork and his ability to read defenses at the next level.

So, what did current New England head coach Jerod Mayo think of Belichick’s breakdown on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular.”

“Look, my thing with Drake, we understand the player on and off the field,” Mayo said Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “We understand that none of these guys are perfect. You can go all the way up to No. 1, 2 or 3; it doesn’t really matter. None of these quarterbacks are coming in here ready to play. I actually think Coach (Belichick) said that — like, the only player that he knows that was ready to play once he came into the league was Lawrence Taylor. And so, it’s very hard to sit here and say, ‘Alright, this guy’s going to play.’ What I will say is he’s going to compete. We have a solid quarterback room, in our opinion, and they’re going to compete, and the best player will play.”

The Patriots, who traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, signed veteran Jacoby Brissett, who could start the 2024 campaign behind center for New England if it’s determined Maye needs more seasoning before being thrown into the fire. They also drafted Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III in the sixth round, adding to a QB room that already included Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke.

Maye, selected after Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears) and Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders), obviously represents the long-term solution. Or so the Patriots hope. But it’ll be interesting to see how New England navigates the early stages of the Maye era.

And as for Belichick’s critique, well, Mayo expressed nothing but love for his former boss.

“Look, he’s tremendous,” Mayo said. “And when you get a chance to learn from a guy like that, and I’m sure the fans are very excited to hear from a guy like that and see the other side of Bill. I think it’s great. I did not watch it, though. I was kinda busy during that time.”

Belichick also made sure to pour cold water on a popular Drake Maye player comparison during his NFL draft coverage, though it’s somewhat understandable given the evaluation’s aggressive nature.