North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is officially off the board at No. 3 overall to the New England Patriots.

The pick comes after weeks of speculation about where Maye would ultimately land in the 2024 NFL Draft. Maye had several potential landing spots, especially as the Patriots reportedly considered trading this pick. In the end, he will head to New England as that franchise hits reset with new head coach Jerod Mayo this offseason.

Maye burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman back in 2022. After winning the starting quarterback job in fall camp, Maye led the Tar Heels to a 9-win season in his first campaign as a starter. He threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions back in 2022.

Entering the 2023 campaign, Maye was widely regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the country — with some analysts even preferring him to USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

But Maye’s production took a small step back in 2023 as he threw just 24 touchdown passes in his final season in Chapel Hill. However, Maye did keep up from an efficiency perspective as he still averaged 8.5 yards per attempt.

NFL scouts have also been impressed with Maye’s athleticism and mobility throughout his college career. In addition to his passing numbers, Maye rushed for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns during his time with the Tar Heels.

Maye is the first former Carolina player to be picked in the first round since Mitchell Trubisky went No. 2 overall to the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft. Maye, Trubisky, Sam Howell and TJ Yates are the only UNC quarterbacks to be drafted this century.

Despite only have 2 seasons as a starter, Maye has a prominent place in Carolina’s record books. He’s 5th all-time in passing yards and 4th in passing touchdowns at UNC. He also holds the program’s single-season passing yardage record and is tied with Howell for the single-season touchdowns high-water mark.

Maye joined UNC in the class of 2021 with big expectations, considering his family legacy. His father, Mark Maye, played quarterback at UNC in the 1980’s. His older brother, Luke Maye, helped lead the Tar Heels’ basketball team to a national championship in 2017.

With Maye officially becoming a NFL Draft pick and leading UNC to 18 wins over 2 seasons, it’s clear that he lived up to those lofty expectations — and then some.