12 Players that stood out on day 7 of Patriots training camp
Patriots training camp continued on Thursday after a day off in Foxboro. Here are 12 players that stood out on the practice field, for both good and/or bad reasons.
FOXBORO — The Patriots’ most important long-term prospect showed signs of life on Thursday.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye has been repping exclusively with the second unit on offense so far in camp, and that continued on Thursday. He’s been shaky both physically and mentally, but especially in terms of his mental processing and general command of the offense. On Thursday, he took a step in the right direction in that area.
In fact, after two days of struggling with their fundamentals on offense, it was actually the Patriots defense that made an egregious mental error that resulted in a penalty lap around the field. More on that below.
MORE: Matthew Judon returns to practice at Patriots training camp
Here are 12 players that stood out on day 7 of Patriots training camp, for both good and bad reasons…
QB Drake Maye
The third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft had a promising day, especially in terms of his ability to simply run an NFL offense. He made his best pre-snap decision of camp so far when he diagnosed a blitz, directed receiver K.J. Osborn to pick it up, and hit tight end Jacob Warren with a quick pass in the flat.
Maye also showed off his arm talent in two touchdowns during a 7-on-7 red zone period. First, he dropped a perfect back-corner pass to tight end La’Michael Pettway, then threw sidearm to Osborn in the back-middle area of the end zone. He finished well, with a great 15-yard out to tight end Mitchell Wilcox in the final 11-on-11 period.
The rookie wasn’t perfect. On one red zone play, he had to re-huddle the offense seconds after coming out of the huddle, and also sailed a couple of pass attempts high to the right. But overall, Maye showed signs of progress in important areas. Read a full recap of Maye’s day in practice.
WR Ja’Lynn Polk
Polk made only two total catches in team drills on Thursday, but they were two of the more impressive grabs of the day when it comes to the receiver competition. In the first 11-on-11 period, Polk darted over the middle to get just enough separation for a catch from Maye, snagging a pass slightly over his head with what’s been reliable hands so far.
Later, in a 7-on-7 red zone drill, Polk cut toward the left pylon in the end zone and held onto a bullet from rookie Joe Milton III, which is something that’s been hard to do with the flamethrowing rookie. Polk runs solid routes and catches everything, and while he lacks elite speed and separation, he’s not slow. It’s early, but he looks like a hit.
WR K.J. Osborn
Osborn hasn’t flashed a ton in camp, but as one of the veterans of the receiver group, he’s separating himself from JuJu Smith-Schuster in the battle for a roster spot. On Thursday, he showed out well in a number of ways during the red zone period.
Osborn caught a touchdown from Maye in 7-on-7, snagging a sidearm throw in the middle of the end zone. Later, in 11-on-11, he picked up the blitz to help Maye complete a quick pass. Osborn may be able to secure his roster spot and carve out a role on the Patriots with his experience and versatility.
QB Joe Milton III
Another good day for the rookie sixth-round pick, who has a chance to pass Bailey Zappe as the No. 3 option. Milton repped in 7-on-7 while Zappe did not, and threw three “touchdowns” in five pass attempts. His third TD was arguably the best throw of the day, as he showed outstanding anticipation to loft the ball to the back-right corner, where receiver Kawaan Baker caught the ball in stride against cornerback Azizi Hearn.
Milton is likely further away from learning how to run an NFL offense than even Maye, let alone Jacoby Brissett, as evidenced by his relative lack of 11-on-11 reps. But his arm talent is for real, and he continues to get more looks in team drills than previously expected.
TE Mitchell Wilcox
Wilcox continues to make a strong case to be the Patriots’ third tight end after Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper. He’s a better overall blocker than the aforementioned pair, and he has made the occasional catch in team drills, as well. He and Maye connected for a nice out route during the final 11-on-11 period of practice. Overall, Wilcox is having a good camp and playing himself into the tight end conversation.
OT Chukwuma Okorafor
Okorafor continues to rep as the starting right tackle in team drills, while left tackle is apparently still a question mark (more on that below). His most impressive play came late in practice, as he dashed into the open field on a wide zone run and made a good block to spring Rhamondre Stevenson for what would’ve been a big run in a real game.
Back at his longtime NFL position, Okorafor may be settling in, and that would be huge for a Patriots tackle room that’s rarely been settled in recent seasons.
OT Vederian Lowe
We’re still going to be shocked if Lowe earns the starting left tackle job out of camp, but he continues to get opportunities. Lowe repped as the starting LT for the second straight day, and only showed signs of struggle on an early 11-on-11 play in which Matthew Judon appeared to take out his contract frustrations on him with a powerful bull-rush. The team, however, appears to have some belief in Lowe, so we’ll keep an eye on him.
DE Oshane Ximines
With Christian Barmore (blood clots) out indefinitely and Judon’s contract situation still unsettled, it’s been good to see Ximines, an off-season addition from the Giants, show up in team drills. We credited him with a run-stuff on an 11-on-11 play against Maye and the second-string offense, on a handoff to JaMycal Hasty. He’s also mixed in with the starters at times. Ximines has a real chance to make the team as at least a reserve edge defender.
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley
Bentley broke through the starting offensive line for what would’ve been a tackle for loss in a late 11-on-11 period, stifling a rush attempt by Stevenson. Bentley has also shown good awareness against the run in padded practices, plugging up the point of attack and finding lanes to the backfield. He’s quietly having a good camp and should be an anchor of the defense, especially against the run.
S Brenden Schooler
Schooler continues to get plenty of reps on defense, and had both good and bad moments in that regard on Thursday. He broke up a potential touchdown during 7-on-7 when he got a hand on a Milton pass attempt toward receiver David Wallis. He was also on the field when the secondary had a communication breakdown before a play, resulting in the entire defense having to run a penalty lap. An up-and-down day for Schooler overall, but a promising sign for him to continue getting looks on defense in addition to special teams.
S Kyle Dugger
Dugger made a pass breakup and generated one pressure during team drills on Thursday, flashing his high-end burst at the safety position. Dugger ranged across the end zone to close on an open Osborn and break up a potential touchdown from Brissett during 11-on-11. He also forced Brissett to scramble and throw the ball away with a blitz and potential sack. Dugger remains one of the most explosive and versatile players on the team, so it was good to see him make plays in the red zone.
CB Marcellas Dial
The rookie sixth-round pick out of South Carolina got more looks with the starting defense than we’ve seen so far in camp. The battle for cornerback reps behind Christian Gonzalez, who isn’t having a great camp himself, is wide-open, and Dial apparently showed enough behind the scenes to get a look with the 1’s on Thursday. This particular spot on the roster remains an intriguing battle to watch.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
