Drake Maye is off to an incredible start to his second NFL season.
Through the Patriots' first seven games, the 23-year-old quarterback has thrown for 1,744 yards and 12 touchdowns, leads the NFL in completion percentage (75.1%), has added 200 yards on the ground and is breaking Tom Brady's franchise records in the process.
While Brady is both an easy—and perhaps unfair—benchmark given their ties to New England, ESPN's Dan Orlovsky says sees a different 2000s Super Bowl champion when he watches Maye play.
"Watching him, it's like watching young Ben Roethlisberger," the analyst explained on Tuesday's edition of NFL Live. "Because here's the thing, so often, he sheds off that arm tackler, that in the pocket shove. You're realizing, you know when he was coming out of school, how important that frame was."
"Watching [Drake Maye], it's like watching young Ben Roethlisberger." 👀@danorlovsky7 sees something familiar in Patriots QB Drake Maye ✍️ pic.twitter.com/S5LhrltQSk
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 21, 2025
"And then some of those wild throws, like Ben would make throws like that that you're just like, good God, how did you make that one into that window, or place it there ..."
While it's certainly a loft comparison, especially given Big Ben won a Super Bowl in his second season as the Steelers' starter, perhaps it's not as crazy as it seems. Here's a look at how Maye stacks up to Roethlisberger through his first 20 NFL games.
Drake Maye
Drake Maye gives a stiff arm to a Titans defender. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Outside of Maye and Roethlisberger's elite arm talent and athletic ability, the numbers the two put up over their first 20 career NFL games are also very similar. Check it out:
Quarterback Team Record Completion Percentage Passing Yards TD/INT Ratio Rushing Yards Rushing TD
Ben Roethlisberger 18–2 64.7% 3,804 28/13 180 2
Drake Maye 8–12 69.8% 4,020 27/12 306 4
The one staunch difference here is, of course, team record. As a rookie, Roethlisberger took over a playoff-ready Steelers team and went a cool 13-0 to close out the 2004 season. In comparison, Maye was just 3–9 as a starter during his first campaign and saw his coach get fired immediately following New England's Week 18 loss.
Now under the watch of Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Maye has the Patriots at 5–2 and in first place in the AFC East. It's early yet, but perhaps comparing him to a two-time Super Bowl champion—even at the ripe age of 23—may just make sense.
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