Patriots wide receivers highlight behind the scenes work from Drake Maye
As Drake Maye goes through growing pains early in his first NFL training camp, two of the Patriots’ wide receivers talked about the work he is doing behind the scenes to try and catch up.
Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has certainly experienced growing pains in his first NFL training camp, especially in the team’s two padded practices this week. The 2024 third overall pick is 8-of-22 in team drills over the last two days with an interception. In one-on-ones he’s been erratic at times, mainly with overthrows.
That’s not to say it’s time to hit the panic button. Maye’s issues – while they do need to be worked on – aren’t out of character for a rookie quarterback. The physical tools that were hyped during the draft are all easily apparent, it’s more about the mental side coming along. Maye has to read and react much quicker to much more complex defensive looks at this level, and that adjustment should be expected to take time.
Fans and media can see what Maye is doing on the field, where the progress hasn’t been immediate. On Tuesday though, multiple Patriots wide receivers talked about the work Maye is putting in behind the scenes in order to close the gap.
“Drake, man, he’s a good quarterback. He’s a great quarterback. Every single day, getting better,” JuJu Smith-Schuster told reporters. “One thing I love about him is that he likes to communicate. He likes to talk. So if something doesn’t work, we always going to film room. We talk about it, we fix it, we come back out here and do it again.”
Jalen Reagor, who has repped with Maye regularly during camp, also highlighted the work Maye is putting in off the field. “He’s a student, for sure. He likes to learn,” Reagor noted. “He’s always talking to Jacoby [Brissett]. Learning. Jacoby’s a great vet to learn from. He’s always talking to AVP [Alex Van Pelt] and talking to us, of course, to see what – how we like things and certain routes, where we want the ball and stuff like that. So he’s a student of the game, for sure.”
WATCH: Barth reacts to Drake Maye’s day with Felger & Mazz
“He’s got a lot of arm talent. So whenever he does get more opportunities, he’s going to show you guys how great he really is,” Reagor added. “There’s a reason he went where he went [in the NFL Draft]. I’m happy to have him here.”
Those extra opportunities should come if and when Maye starts showing improvement on the field. For now it sounds like he’s putting in the work to get there, it’s just a matter of taking that process and turning it into success on a consistent basis.
