Even though Drake Maye has not definitively taken the starting role in New England, he is already making steady progress towards it. While the hype around him hasn’t been like that of Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels, he is still silently impressing everyone with his incremental improvements. And the Patriots social media team is leaving no stone unturned to let us in on his special moments.
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A video posted by them went viral. In the short clip fans can see Maye pull off a perfect no look pass during training camp. Here’s the rookie showing off his precision and his arm strength:
No @DrakeMaye2 | #NEPats pic.twitter.com/5R9q5wYJTX
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 30, 2024
There is always hype around any QB who gets picked 3rd overall in his draft class. The NC State shot-caller was highly sought after impressing everyone with his arm talent and ability to make plays in college, despite not having a star cast around him like other top QBs.
At 21, he is still an unfinished project, but the Pats and their fans believe, they might have found their new franchise QB. Equipped with great athleticism, and pocket awareness, he has all the tools to succeed in the right environment.
The recent report from their 2nd OTAs has been encouraging and it seems Drake Maye is making steady progress.
Drake Maye OTA Update
Maye is making progress in the OTAs despite being third on the pecking order in practice. Even though he’s getting his reps with Brissett and Zappe ahead of him, he is working through progressions and learning at a fast pace. As per the New England Patriots, Drake mostly practiced with non-regulars while Jacoby threw passes to the starters.
The progression was visible as the Pats moved from first OTAs to the 2nd OTA session. During the first OTAs, Maye only got a few reps and many were critical of that. But for 2nd phase of practice, Drake participated in 14 competitive reps in 7-on-7s, practicing mainly with receivers Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
He completed 12 out of 14 passes, impressing everyone with some deep throws. His arm strength and mental acuity were on display. However, he didn’t get as many reps as everyone expected during the 11-on-11. Maye’s performances in these weren’t up to mark but he did throw a slant in wide coverage to Kawaan Baker.
All these are good signs for non-padded practices. The Patriots aren’t rushing the process. They know their star QB is still young and has a higher ceiling. Adding Brissett has also been helpful as the vet has been giving the rookie advice and encouragement.
They know they have a special talent on their hands. Ron Wolf knows that giving their rookie QB time to advance is beneficial. Brady too sat for a year and so did Rodgers and Love.
