Mayewatch: Signs of progress and room for improvement for Drake Maye
FOXBORO — Drake Maye is still the clear No. 2 quarterback for the New England Patriots. But based on Thursday’s training camp practice in Foxboro, the third overall pick appears to be making progress in the most important area of his development: running an NFL offense.
In what would usually be a nondescript play from a veteran QB, Maye made the most impressive decision we’ve seen from the rookie so far in his first training camp as a pro. During an 11-on-11 red zone drill, Maye signaled to wide receiver K.J. Osborn about a coming blitz. Osborn picked up the rusher, allowing Maye to complete a quick pass to tight end Jacob Warren in the flat. Incumbent starter Jacoby Brissett gave Maye an “attaboy” after the play.
Simple stuff on the surface, but an encouraging sign for Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 draft out of UNC. Maye is 21 years old with minimal experience running a huddle and calling his own plays at the line of scrimmage, so there’s been a clear learning curve for him. His mere presence with the second-unit offense shows that there’s no competition for the starting job just yet.
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On Thursday, if only for one snap, Maye proved on the field that he has the ability to diagnose a pressure package, and execute a play designed to beat it. Maye had a positive day overall, finishing 7-of-10 in team drills, including two “touchdowns” in a 7-on-7 red zone period.
![Patriots quarterback Drake Maye at first day of training camp Wednesday morning. (Kris Craig/The Providence Journal/USA Today Network)](https://985thesportshub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2024/07/USATSI_23816022-1_1721933397_.jpg?resize=1024,774)
Maye’s two scoring plays were physically impressive, and less surprising, considering his profile as a draft prospect. First, he dropped a well-placed ball to tight end La’Michael Pettway in the back-left corner of the end zone, beating safety Dell Pettus in coverage. His other TD came after he moved off his first read then threw a sidearm strike to Osborn in the back of the end zone against Shaun Wade.
But we already knew Maye had physical gifts. It was the slight improvement in mental processing that really jumped out for the rookie on Thursday.
“One thing I love about [Maye] is that he likes to communicate,” wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said Tuesday. “He likes to talk. So if something doesn’t work, we’re always going to the film room. We talk about it, we fix it, we come back out here and do it again.”
That’s not to say Maye had a perfect day, from either a mental or physical standpoint. On one play in the 11-on-11 red zone period, Maye and the offense came out of the huddle, only to quickly re-huddle, a sign of a miscommunication. Maye then handed it off to Antonio Gibson for a short run up the middle. In a 7-on-7 play, Maye briefly had an opening to hit wide receiver Jalen Reagor by the front-right pylon, but hesitated, rolled left, then tucked the ball without making a throw. Indecisiveness has been a bit of an issue for him.
Maye’s worst pass attempt came in the same 7-on-7 period, when he lofted the ball too high in the back-right corner of the end zone, sailing it over Osborn’s head. In 11-on-11, he rolled right with a chance to hit DeMario Douglas toward the sideline, but the throw was a little too ahead of the receiver’s grasp.
The rookie had a hit-and-miss finish in the final 11-on-11 period, first connecting with tight end Mitchell Wilcox with a well-placed ball on a 15-yard out. Two plays later, he held the ball a little too long, resulting in what would’ve been a “sack” for linebacker Anfernee Jennings.
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Issues aside, Maye’s progress was notable, especially with his pre-snap reads and general command of the offense. It won’t be until the Patriots trust Maye to consistently do those things well that they’ll give him a chance to wrest the starting job away from Brissett. As long as Maye is repping with the backups, he’s the backup.
But for a player that’s often looked shaky in his first training camp, Maye gave some reason for optimism on Thursday.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.