Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye is not a finished product by any means, probably not yet ready to overtake veteran Jacoby Brissett for New England’s starting job.
The No. 3 overall pick is also not a raw project who some “experts” projected before the draft would need a couple years on the bench before he’d be ready to take to an NFL field.
Nope. With Jerod Mayo’ team wrapping up its mandatory veteran mini-camp at Gillette Stadium, Maye very much remains a work in progress. But one that has certainly shown progress during the OTA and mini-camp practices seen by the local media since arriving in Foxborough.
“He's done a great job. He's going the right direction,” Mayo said leading into the final practice of the spring. “Now, in saying that, we know there are going to be some down days. That's one thing that I've been trying to stress to him is, ‘Alright, just keep chipping at the rock, get 1% better every day.’ It's not always going to be great. He’s done a good job.”
That job included the final play of mini-camp and the spring in which Maye hit fellow rookie and second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk in the back right corner of the end zone on what Bill Belichick would call a “gotta have it play” with no time left on the clock. The NFL officials on hand had to confer before awarding Polk the touchdown on the kind of play that’s fuel for Patriots’ fans dreams of what the future might hold.
The most competitive kind of play you can get in a non-contact mini-camp setting was the perfect finale for the spring work and potential springboard toward what training camp might hold for Maye, Polk and a rebuilding offense. Even if it caused much angst among veteran New England defenders such as tone-setting safety Jabrill Peppers, who was none too happy with the call or the fact that the score left he and his teammates doing pushups.
“End on a good note, that’s something you go home with,” Maye said of the exciting final play. “First OTAs, first mini-camp, end on a catch like that from a fellow rookie. First and second rounders, it’s pretty cool.”
Go home and get ready for training camp. Get ready to prove what he is and what he can be. Prepare to compete to be the starter, whenever that opportunity may present itself.
Again, this isn’t to say that Maye is there yet. He had up-and-down days at practice this spring. Great throws that were signs of potential things to come. Poor decisions and questionable throws, signs there is still plenty of work to be done. Mistakes have been made. They will continue to be made.
Maye, himself, is proud of the work he’s done. He’s improved his footwork while taking snaps under center, a critical part of the West Coast style offense that first-year offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is installing. He’s also getting used to calling plays in the huddle, something he has done much of since his youth football days.
“I don’t sound like I’m fumbling words in there, I sound like I know what I’m doing. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Maye said with a smile.
Maye emphasized his improvement coming “rep by rep.” And those reps increased over the spring, to the point that he and Brissett took nearly all the reps on the final day of camp. He ascended to most of the reps behind Brissett earlier this spring, leapfrogging seemingly forgotten third-string veteran Bailey Zappe.
“I’ve made some progress, I feel like I have,” Maye said.
“At the same time I think I have a lot of work to go. I still haven’t been touched out there. I’m a quarterback in a red jersey. It’s different taking hits. The closer and closer we get to the season the more you kind of feel like man these bullets are flying.”
Maye is exactly what he probably should be at the point.
Clearly a talented young passer with the potential for a very bright future.
But also a relatively young, raw player with plenty to improve on and plenty to learn. All of that, the good and the bad, were on display at times this spring.
According to Mayo, maybe the best sign isn’t how Maye is handing his progress and success but rather the way he deals with the mistakes and failures on the field.
“I would say the surprising thing is just the way he's able to pull the nose up, right? What I mean by saying that is he makes a bad throw, it's out of his head,” Mayo said. “Move on to the next play. I think Jacoby's done a great job, as well as AVP and the rest of the staff, really helping him out with that. You’re going to make mistakes, and this is the time to make those mistakes.”
And learn from them, as well as from the practice field success. It’s a long process for Maye, a long road to getting himself on the game day field.
But there is no doubt there is a lot to like in what Maye has done this spring and the direction he’s going. The arrow is most certainly pointing up.
Including a would-be game-winning touchdown to Polk that can only serve as an appetizer of things to come in New England. A perfect capper for a productive month-plus of work for the future of the quarterback position at Gillette on the same day that Tom Brady, the ultimate measuring stick at the position was set to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in front of a packed house.
His work done for the day and the spring, Maye was ready to join the fans honoring TB12.
“It’s gonna be awesome. The GOAT! Getting a chance to celebrate him on his day is pretty cool. Excited to have a chance to witness it,” Maye said.
Just as many are excited to witness Maye’s development, which if you are paying attention this June is well on its way.