North Carolina Professional Athletes

Drake Maye Silences the Doubters in Buffalo

After a rocky start to the 2026 season that had New England on edge, Drake Maye delivered the kind of performance that reminds the NFL why the Patriots were so high on the Chapel Hill product. On Oct. 4, Maye orchestrated a 29-26 road upset at Highmark Stadium, throwing for 269 yards and three touchdowns while adding 54 rushing yards — all in a game the Patriots nearly let slip away after falling behind in the fourth quarter.

The exit from Buffalo said it all: Maye walked off the field to chants of "MVP" from the visiting crowd. Days later, the AFC made it official, naming him AFC Offensive Player of the Week — the second time in his career he's earned the distinction. It's a notable redemption arc for a quarterback who had battled turnover issues through the first three weeks of the season.

Maye's win didn't come without some help. Tar Heel teammate Mack Hollins caught three passes for 53 yards in the victory, providing a veteran presence in a receiver room that has been battered by injuries all fall.

Hollins Heads to IR Ahead of Raiders Game

The good news from Buffalo came with a painful footnote. By Oct. 10, the Patriots placed Mack Hollins on injured reserve ahead of their matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, adding another name to a wide receiver depth chart that has become one of New England's most pressing concerns. With Hollins joining A.J. Brown on the sideline, the Patriots may look to bolster their receiver room to compensate.

The timing stings for Hollins, who had just contributed in a meaningful way against the Bills. Reports out of New England suggest cautious optimism about the long-term prognosis for both Hollins and Brown, but in the short term, Maye will be operating without two of his most trusted targets.

Around the League

Elsewhere among UNC's NFL contingent, Javonte Williams has been one of the quiet standouts of the early season for the Dallas Cowboys. The running back posted three rushing touchdowns in a Week 4 win over Houston, adding 62 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards — then followed it up Thursday night against Tampa Bay with another touchdown and 45 rushing yards. Williams is quietly putting together a strong case as one of the more productive backs from the Tar Heel alumni pool.

Dyami Brown had his best showing of the season for Washington in Week 4, hauling in three catches for 65 yards in a loss to Indianapolis, while Josh Downs caught three passes for 16 yards for the Colts in that same game. Willie Lampkin drew attention of a different kind, with Pro Football Talk reporting the undersized center is set to start for the Eagles — a significant role elevated by roster upheaval on Philadelphia's offensive line.

The headline, though, belongs to Maye. Two MVP chants and a Player of the Week award later, the Tar Heel quarterback looks like exactly what New England drafted him to be.

The Drake Maye Crisis Is Real

One year after finishing as MVP runner-up, Drake Maye is carrying the NFL's worst passer rating — a 58.6 that has opposing evaluators openly questioning whether the Patriots' franchise quarterback has regressed in his second season.

The numbers from the Week 4 loss to Jacksonville were damning: 199 passing yards, two interceptions, and a 6-35 final score that wasn't even that close. It's now six interceptions through three weeks, and CBS Sports reported that scouts around the league have noticed Maye looking less comfortable in the pocket than he did during his 2025 breakout. One opposing coach offered a bluntly "stale" assessment of what New England is running around him.

The situation got thornier midweek when Maye surfaced on the injury report with a right shoulder issue. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels confirmed the quarterback had gotten "dinged" on the shoulder, though Maye practiced without restrictions. Coach Mike Vrabel clarified Friday that the team listed Maye out of an abundance of caution and transparency — not because he was actually in danger of missing the Bills game. Still, a shoulder scare for a quarterback in freefall is the last thing Patriot Nation needed to absorb.

Then came the rift rumors. Reports circulating during the week suggested tension between Maye and Vrabel. NFL insider Tom Pelissero moved quickly to discredit them, and a Patriots insider echoed that the relationship was not fractured. But the fact that such rumors have oxygen at all — three weeks into a season — speaks to the anxiety swirling around Foxborough.

New England did waste no time addressing the turnover problem in practice, with ball security installed as a centerpiece of Wednesday's session. Rob Gronkowski, speaking with RotoWire, offered his own diagnosis: the receivers are getting blanketed, plain and simple, and until the pass catchers start winning routes, Maye won't have answers. The Bills game looms as a genuine referendum on where this team — and this quarterback — actually stands.

Hollins: Community MVP, Also $34K Lighter

If Drake Maye dominated the dark headlines, teammate Mack Hollins delivered the week's most contradictory subplot. The NFLPA named the Patriots wide receiver their Community MVP for Week 4 — a recognition of his off-field impact — while simultaneously, the NFL fined him $34,441 for two penalties on the same play in Week 3 against Jacksonville.

The penalty in question was a taunting call, issued while New England trailed by 25 points in the fourth quarter. The timing made it worse. On the field, though, Hollins was one of the few bright spots against the Jaguars: six catches for 87 yards in a game where the offense otherwise imploded around him.

Around the Rest of the Alumni Map

Javonte Williams gave Cowboys fans something to cheer in Week 3 — 98 rushing yards and a touchdown against Baltimore — though sources noted that sustaining that production figures to be a "pretty good challenge" given the Cowboys' offensive situation. Josh Downs continued to be a reliable option for Indianapolis, hauling in five catches for 77 yards in the Colts' 19-17 win over Houston. And Cole Holcomb is facing potential discipline from the league after a hit in Pittsburgh's Week 4 game against Cleveland that could escalate to a suspension.

The UNC alumni footprint across the NFL is wide — but this week, all roads led back to Foxborough.

Drake Maye: Winning, But Not Convincing

The New England Patriots are 1-1. Drake Maye is the reason people are still worried.

The UNC product picked up his first win of the season in Week 2, a dominant 20-3 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers — but Maye's individual performance did little to quiet the noise. He finished with 208 passing yards, a rushing contribution of 17 yards, and yet another interception, pushing his two-week total to a troubling 1 touchdown against 4 interceptions. Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason didn't mince words: "Well, I would say he has regressed; there's no question about it. Can't play quarterback in the NFL like that."

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky pointed blame at the situation around Maye rather than the quarterback himself — a view reinforced by ESPN's Ben Solak, who argued the early struggles stem largely from facing elite defenses. The counterpoint gained more weight when star wideout A.J. Brown, acquired this offseason at the cost of a first-round pick, went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 2, further depleting Maye's weapons. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels expressed confidence in veterans Romeo Doubs and fellow Tar Heel Mack Hollins stepping into larger roles — Hollins caught two passes for 18 yards against Pittsburgh — but the margin for error just got slimmer.

Coach Mike Vrabel, for his part, refused to let the win get overshadowed. He didn't want his Sunday "ruined" by Maye questions, emphasizing the balance between decisiveness and recklessness as the key developmental target for his young QB. Week 3 brings a road trip to Jacksonville — a potential reset, or another chapter in the same uncomfortable story.

Omarion Hampton Quietly Goes Off

While Maye dominated the headlines, Omarion Hampton was doing the work no one seemed to be watching closely enough.

The Chargers' rookie running back — also out of Chapel Hill — posted 94 rushing yards and a touchdown in Los Angeles's Week 2 loss to the Raiders, adding two receptions for 21 yards out of the backfield. It was an eye-catching performance from a player whose stock was already rising through the preseason, and one that raises real questions about how much the Chargers will lean on him as the season progresses. Some local power rankings suggested Hampton was "trending down" heading into the week — his output suggests otherwise.

Around the Rest of the Tar Heel Diaspora

Elsewhere in the NFL, Josh Downs continued to produce for the Indianapolis Colts, hauling in 7 receptions for 72 yards in a Week 2 loss to Kansas City. With teammate Alec Pierce now headed to injured reserve, Downs could be poised for a genuine breakout role in the Colts' passing game.

Javonte Williams contributed 30 rushing yards and three catches for 20 yards in Dallas's 37-20 win over Washington — and then sent a blunt postgame message expressing dissatisfaction with his own performance. Dyami Brown, on the losing side of that same game, managed just 21 yards on four grabs for the Commanders while dealing with a receiver rotation that has become increasingly difficult to explain. And in New Orleans, Asim Richards stepped into a starting left tackle role after Kelvin Banks Jr. underwent ankle surgery — a significant opportunity for the UNC offensive lineman in a crucial division opponent's lineup.

Devontez Walker flashed for the Ravens, catching one ball for 47 yards in Baltimore's loss to the Saints.

Drake Maye's Week 2 Crucible

The national spotlight on Drake Maye has turned into a blowtorch.

After a rough Week 1 opening night, the 23-year-old Patriots quarterback entered the week as one of the league's most scrutinized players — with Bleacher Report raising the question of whether Maye is "at risk" of an unexpected Year 3 regression. CBS Sports put him on notice before the Steelers matchup, and fantasy analysts flagged him as a Week 2 bust given the Pittsburgh defensive matchup. The pile-on was swift and loud.

The stakes got sharper when T.J. Watt sent a public message to Maye ahead of New England's Week 2 trip to Pittsburgh, a moment that crystallized just how much pressure the former UNC star faces in what amounts to an early-season referendum on his development. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pushed back on the "defenses have solved Maye" narrative during a Sept. 17 press conference, calling for discipline rather than panic — though "patience sounds like a passive word to me," McDaniels noted pointedly.

Maye himself has responded with accountability, publicly stating he feels obligated to elevate the Patriots offense this week and every week. That resolve was tested by a separate revelation: ESPN reported that New England had turned down a three-first-round-pick package from the Vikings for Maye at the 2024 draft. Whatever scrutiny Maye faces now, the Patriots' organizational bet on him couldn't be clearer.

Adding a subplot at the receiver spot: fellow Tar Heel Mack Hollins is suddenly in the mix. With A.J. Brown sidelined by injury, coach Mike Vrabel offered a strong endorsement of Hollins heading into Pittsburgh — notable given that Hollins had to restructure his contract earlier in the week just to stay on the roster, later signaling the rework was what kept him from being cut.

Javonte Williams Apologizes — and Pays Up

In Dallas, Javonte Williams had a Week 1 to forget on the discipline front despite a solid stat line. The Cowboys running back posted 41 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, five catches for 31 yards, and a receiving score in a 28-20 loss to the Giants — but a taunting penalty late in the game overshadowed the production. The NFL fined Williams for the infraction, and the former Tar Heel didn't dodge accountability: he told teammates he apologized for the costly lapse, acknowledging the penalty hurt the team at a critical moment.

Cedric Gray Returns, Omarion Hampton Eyeing Bigger Role

In Tennessee, LB Cedric Gray navigated an uncertain week before getting cleared to play in Week 2 against the Eagles — good news for a Titans defense that, per Sports Illustrated, genuinely needs him to have a shot at pulling the upset against Philadelphia.

Out in Los Angeles, Omarion Hampton is generating buzz for different reasons. After rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers' Week 1 loss to Arizona, Hampton is being discussed as a potential beneficiary of the Ladd McConkey injury heading into the Raiders game. With the Chargers' offense searching for playmakers, beat writers and fans are asking how much the rookie RB can handle — a sign that his role may be expanding faster than anticipated.

Four Tar Heels, four distinct storylines. The NFL doesn't ease in gently, and neither do its UNC alumni.