Drew Bledsoe does not expect easy sailing for Drake Maye as he begins his NFL career.

Bledsoe, offering advice to Maye after his own experience with the Patriots, said the North Carolina product will have to be patient as New England navigates a rebuild.

"He's going to have to have thick skin and be patient. It's not going to happen immediately. He's going to have to be very mentally and emotionally tough to get through some of the hard times—if they even start him right away," Bledsoe told Mike Reiss of ESPN. "You have Jacoby there; they're not in a situation where they have to throw him on the field right away. So I'll be curious to see what they do."

The Patriots 4-13 last season, their worst record since 1992. Coincidentally, they parlayed that 1992 performance into the top pick of the 1993 draft and selected Bledsoe, who played nine seasons in New England before famously being replaced by Tom Brady.

The Patriots are using this offseason to undergo a similar overhaul. They parted ways with longtime coach/de facto general manager Bill Belichick in the offseason and replaced him with the duo of Jerod Mayo (coach) and Eliot Wolf (personnel).

Maye, who won the ACC Player of the Year during a decorated career at North Carolina, is walking into arguably the worst situation of any of the six quarterbacks taken in Round 1. The Patriots' roster is bereft of skill-position talent, and their offensive line leaves something to be desired.

It could be argued that New England would be better off allowing Maye to sit the entire 2024 season to learn under Jacoby Brissett while using next offseason to fortify the roster. That's unlikely to happen given the pressures to start a young quarterback and the team's desire to see how Maye meshes with rookie wideouts Ja'Lynn Polk (Round 2) and Javon Baker (Round 4).