Drake Maye performed simply six snaps final Thursday night time within the New England Patriots’ preseason opener towards the Carolina Panthers.
The rookie quarterback did not do something spectacular. Nor did he do something silly. So, it is exhausting to learn an excessive amount of into his first recreation motion since being chosen third total by New England within the 2024 NFL Draft.
But, there are some who already are starting to query Maye’s potential, largely as a result of the opposite rookie QBs who performed this weekend confirmed slightly one thing that the Patriots’ new signal-caller didn’t have the chance to indicate.
Maye might flash his upside in time, regardless that veteran Jacoby Brissett has the within monitor on New England’s beginning QB job to start the common season. It is simply been a sluggish tempo for the 21-year-old in his first NFL camp, which prolonged into the preseason opener.
Story continues under commercial
And therein lies the essential reminder: That is nonetheless the preseason.
The opposite rookie quarterbacks may’ve made sturdy first impressions with their respective groups, however we actually ought to keep away from sweeping judgments this early of their improvement.
Simply ask former Patriots head coach Invoice Belichick.
“I feel we’re gonna have to guage the rookies after they get to the common season,” Belichick stated Monday on the “Pat McAfee Present,” with out mentioning Maye particularly. “Preseason is an efficient time to realize expertise and get slightly little bit of recreation publicity, however particularly on the quarterback place, the defenses are very fundamental. There’s not quite a lot of scheme, and whenever you’re on the defensive aspect of the ball, you are taking part in, let’s name it, three-deep all through the course of the sport — first quarter to halfway by the third quarter to a different group to complete the sport. You are operating the identical issues the entire recreation. You are not recreation planning. You are not displaying an excessive amount of. You are simply making an attempt to run the stuff you have been working towards.
Story continues under commercial
“So, what the quarterbacks see in preseason and what they see in joint practices, after which what they see through the common season, I feel, are going to be fairly completely different. It is virtually like taking part in in an All-Star Recreation, the place you simply see a handful of coverages.”
Maye accomplished simply two of three passes for 19 yards final week within the Patriots’ 17-3 preseason win over the Panthers. Bailey Zappe, a holdover from final yr’s roster, noticed the majority of the motion behind middle, whereas rookie Joe Milton III popped essentially the most.
We’ll most likely see extra of Maye in New England’s second preseason recreation this Thursday night time towards the Philadelphia Eagles. However once more — good, dangerous or detached — we must always withhold any concrete evaluations till he lastly sees the sphere in a regular-season recreation.
Story continues under commercial
“What I feel the coaches are evaluating is how nicely the gamers do the issues that they have been instructed to do they usually’ve practiced to do,” Belichick stated Monday of the preseason. “So, the basics, the communication throughout the restricted, watered-down schemes that they are operating and simply the stay competitors that you aren’t getting to see in observe.”
Though Belichick did not provide an analysis of Maye, particularly, it is most likely price conserving his feedback in thoughts because the preseason performs out and we overanalyze the Patriots’ quarterback room in wake of the place’s struggles since Tom Brady’s departure.
