Drake Maye said his North Carolina coach, Mac Brown and current Patriots coach Jerod Mayo have something in common.

And it’s a quality that the Patriots quarterback appreciates.

“The biggest thing you look for as a player is to be a coach,” Maye said Monday during his appearance on WEEI’s afternoon show. “I think they both checked that box.”

Mayé said that even though Brown was older, almost a grandfather, he was able to learn a lot from his college coach. Brown, 73, who won a national championship in 2005, is the reason Maye went to North Carolina.

The rookie had no choice with Mayo. He was drafted by the Patriots third overall and had to live with that team’s head coach.

Mayé appreciates what Mayo brings to the table. He likes that Mayo is a veteran player and has former Patriots (Dont’a Hightower, Troy Brown) on his team.

“He did it. He lived it. He lived the Patriots experience,” Maye said of Mayo. “He knows what it’s like to hit the lifts early in the morning and come back to run the hills after practice. I think that’s the most important thing that you respect. He did it, won the Super Bowl and did it here, in this very building.

“Now these players, who played with him at times, having a lot of coaches that he played with come back is a cool experience. You can respect something like that and get a lot of progress from it.

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