The Drake Maye Report: Going beyond Day 9 completion numbers originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO – This has to be a mental tug of war for Drake Maye.
On one hand, one of the reasons he was picked third overall and seen as one of the best defenders in this year’s draft is because of his physical ability. He can move. He can play on the move. Some of his best and most exciting plays at North Carolina showed him using his athleticism and skill off the platform to extend plays and create for his team.
On the other hand, his coaches want to see him play in the pocket. Head coach Jerod Mayo explained at the beginning of camp that they are not necessarily looking for Maye to do a lot of fighting in these sessions. It’s part of the learning process for him. And it’s part of giving all 21 other players on the field a good view of how a play might develop if, for example, he hangs out in the pocket instead of looking for some daylight at the start of a given play and start shaking your feet.
Maye said late last week that his game won’t change, and perhaps that will be evident in the preseason opener against the Panthers on Thursday.
“That’s part of my game,” Maye said when asked about his playing ability. “That’s not going to change. I think I do a good job of getting rid of the last play, moving on to the next one and keeping my same style of play. That’s a big thing for me. I’m not going to change the way I play.” .That’s how I play. I run a little and make plays.”
On Day 9 of the Patriots’ training camp practice on Saturday, Maye may have been helped by running a little. He didn’t, and some of his completion numbers weren’t great, as he went 3-for-10 in 11-on-11 periods.
But there’s a bit of context needed to get a full picture of Maye’s performance. Let’s get down to business in the latest edition of The Drake Maye Report…
The representative’s report
Maye took 20 11-on-11 action shots and received five competitive 7-on-7 shots; Meanwhile, Jacoby Brissett also saw 20 snaps of 11-on-11 work and also saw five 7-on-7 snaps. Brissett continues to be the leader in every practice period.
Wcalculating the numbers
Typically, this is the section of the Maye Report where we provide a record of game results over the competitive period. Quick and easy. And you’re still getting them.
Brissett was 11 of 18 with two picks on the day. His first interception was made by Jaylinn Hawkins after Azizi Hearn broke up a pass intended for Jalen Reagor. His second came on what appeared to be a miscommunication with tight end Austin Hooper during a 7-on-7 replay.
Hooper stopped running a route because the play had been extended, and with no pass rush, Hooper likely expected the play to be blown up. Hooper stopped running on his route, Brissett threw and corralled Alex Austin nailed it.
Maye went 3-for-10 in 11-on-11 periods and 3-for-5 in 7-on-7 work, giving him a final line in the competitive 6-for-15 period.
Now, a little context based on my observations of practice.
Maye nailed 7-on-7 work in the red zone, which continued a trend for him after completing 76 percent of his competitive passes on days 7 and 8 of practicewhich mainly focused on red zone periods.
In Saturday’s 7-on-7, Maye threw a route to Ja’Lynn Polk for a touchdown with Hearn in tight, pinpoint coverage. He found Javon Baker on an outside route near the sideline as the rookie came out of the break, prompting Brissett to run onto the field to celebrate. And Maye’s best 7-on-7 throw might have been a tip in traffic to tight end Mitchell Wilcox. He came out quickly and hit the target, but fell.
When the pass-rush entered the field at 11-on-11, the game turned to Maye and the Patriots’ second-team offense.
Of note, the Patriots were without Calvin Anderson and Chukwuma Okorafor, two of their top four tackles in camp. This meant that Caedan Wallace became the first team’s right forward, alongside Vederian Lowe. Maye then had undrafted rookie Zuri Henry at right tackle and new addition Kellen Diesch (signed about 24 hours before Saturday’s practice) at left tackle.
Let’s see what each of his 11-on-11 dropbacks looks like.
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First grade: On Maye’s first pass of 11-on-11, Deatrich Wise rushed down the left side of the line for a quick sack. This was Maye’s only attempt during her first round of full teamwork.
If he had thought to run a little, could Maye have escaped sooner – he ended up hitting DeMario Douglas on a nice out-of-frame throw – to avoid Wise? Probably, but he’s also in the middle of this dance behind center where he has to balance practicing plays as they’re called and using his athleticism to create something out of nothing.
Second Serie: Maye then had Lowe, Wallace and left guard Sidy Sow stay on the field for his next set of 11-on-11 plays.
Two setbacks. One that featured Maye sliding up the pocket to avoid pressure, but then missing what appeared to be an open Baker over the middle for a nice gain. The next one was a jailbreak “bag” with several defensive players crossing the line almost immediately.
Third grade: Maye’s next round of 11-on-11 passes went like this: Kevin Harris fell on a spin pass; ended quickly for Wilcox; completion of dive return to Polk; throwaway when edge rusher William Bradley-King passed Diesch at left tackle.
The throw was probably the smart play, given that it was a two-minute period and the Patriots were on the edge of Joey Slye’s field goal range. Moments later, Slye made the fourth-down kick from about 50 yards out.
Fourth grade: The next round of 11-on-11 snaps featured perhaps Maye’s best 11-on-11 finish of the day, a cross to KJ Osborn in stride, where he slid into the pocket and kept his eyes downfield to hit his target accurately while sailing a chunk. of open space in your pocket.
Maye was “sacked” on his next dropback – although not immediately, so it’s worth asking if Maye had any open pass-catchers to hit quickly – by Keion White.
Fifth grade: Maye’s 11-on-11 final period was another two-minute drill. His first attempt was disposable under pressure. Not a bad decision under pressure given the scenario. His next pass was a deep attempt to Baker in double coverage, who bounced incomplete after being tackled by a few yards. That’s a miss that Maye, who has always said he likes to publicize, would probably like to have back.
On third-and-10, Maye threw what appeared to be a sharp shot to JuJu Smith-Schuster for a possible first down – and an opportunity to extend the series – but Smith-Schuster fell coming out of his break and the pass was incomplete. On fourth-and-10, under pressure, his final pass was batted down at the line.
If you look closely at Maye’s 3-for-10 performance in 11-on-11 work, I counted three “sacks,” one drop, and a receiver falling on a route. He also had two disposals which appeared to be correct decisions given the pressure he faced and the two-minute situations in which he threw them; one saved a field goal attempt and another fell on first down.
There were what looked like negative plays: two misses for Baker on stable platforms and a late “sack” by White. But overall, his day wasn’t as unproductive as the numbers might make it seem.
Play of the day
Maye’s throw to Wilcox in a 7-on-7 job threaded the needle. It came out very quickly and was thrown into a tight window. It wasn’t caught, but that didn’t make the throw any less impressive.
Maye’s sliding completion to Osborn with bodies all around him was also noteworthy here.
Why is he ready
In this section of the Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the parts of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s primed to step up to the top of the quarterback pecking order in New England sooner rather than later.
Maye’s first two-minute drill went well. His initial pass to Harris was dropped, but he hit chain throws to Wilcox and Polk. After a spike, his shooting under pressure showed an understanding of where he was on the field and where he needed to go.
Would he have liked a try shorter than 50 yards to Slye? Probably. But they were within reach without Maye having to do anything superhuman. And things structural rather than superhuman seem to be his (and his coaching team’s) focus at this stage of his development.
It’s also important to note that Maye has done an effective job throughout camp of not making worthwhile throws. In 117 competitive attempts, he was picked off twice with an interception rate of 1.7%.
Why patience is a virtue
In this section of the Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the parts of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s not yet ready to top the quarterback depth chart.
Maye still makes occasional mistakes in relatively clean pockets that are sometimes scary, but could be the result of A) changing mechanics or B) overthinking and playing a little too tight. Maybe both.
Playing with precision downfield was one of his calling cards as a Tar Heel, but in some of his toughest practices this summer, he missed open receivers from clean pockets.
Maye’s two incomplete but doable throws to Baker on Saturday – both of which would have resulted in big gains – would have significantly changed the outlook on his performance had they been completed.
