Patriots rookie minicamp observations: Drake Maye as advertised originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO – So what was the most notable, notable and interesting “I have to tell your friends” takeaway from Saturday’s Patriots rookie minicamp session?
Jaysus, Does Joe Milton have a dashing cannon arm?
And while even a casual NFL fan has known this since Milton showed it off at the NFL Combine in February, it’s still a surprising development. After watching the Mac Jones/Bailey Zappe combo for the past two seasons, this is like going from (incoming golf reference) watching a Champions Tour event to a Long Drive contest.
At this point, you might be thinking, “Great. Nobody cares how hard Milton throws it. What did Drake Maye look like, you fool?
I guess that’s the point. Maye was “fine” during the 60-minute session open to the media on Saturday. Throwing into the air without defenders, he had many accurate throws and many inaccurate ones. His flaws were mostly placement problems. There were no “WTF” throws, just ones that were clearly behind receivers or a little too high on midfield throws.
But he showed command and presence in the huddle and on the line, he certainly fills the No. 10 jersey better than Jones, and he has plenty of arm, even though Milton’s is one or two stronger.
In short, Maye is as advertised. A work in progress with all the physical tools to, someday, perhaps, approach its much-discussed roof.
The Patriots dedicated the first part of practice to the fundamentals of all positions. I focused on Maye and Milton as they were tutored by offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach TC McCartney and offensive assistants Ben McAdoo and Evan Rothstein.
Head coach Jerod Mayo was asked who will be in Maye’s ear the most.
“Across the league, most offensive coordinators interact with the quarterback, the starting quarterback for the most part,” he responded. “We have a group of coaches that have experience at quarterback, but I would say overall it would be AVP (Alex Van Pelt) as far as the leader goes.”
It remains to be seen if that will be the case when Jacoby Brissett is with the group for minicamp and training camp next month. But on that day, Maye would have been seen as the “starter,” as she took the first reps before Milton.
Mayo acknowledged that there are many coaches focused on quarterbacks, adding: “There has to be balance there; You don’t want Drake to hear too many voices. “Again, that’s why I say AVP will be the leader when it comes to communicating with Drake.”
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Maye and Milton worked on taking plays, making short throws and handoffs before moving on to some precision throws toward a net target. It was windy and there was a lot of footwork that was the main focus, but Maye didn’t hit the target very often.
“I think it was the first day, feeling it and doing more and more reps. All of that is something new. “I’m just getting more reps,” Maye explained. “I think it’s… you know, it’s an advantage. Quick play is much faster.
“…And I think with the under center pose, there’s a lot of new things that I’m trying, you know, two new poses that I’m getting used to. So I’m working on it, repeating it. And I’m starting… I felt pretty good today, so I have to keep working.”
Other notes
Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker were 1-2 in all receiver reps. Polk, Washington’s second-rounder, showed precision and explosiveness in his routes and very good hands throughout.
Baker had a couple of drops on balls that he should have handled. Mayo was asked before practice about the fourth round. Unbridled self-confidence displayed on social media.
“I want these guys to have personality,” Mayo said. “I want them to feel free to talk about certain things.
“Look, we’ll have rules about what to talk about. But now, once he puts it out there, he has to prove it every day here on the football field. If not, he’s just a talker and you start losing.” respect for the locker room and things like that. So, he said it, he expressed it, and now you have to prove it to us.”
Third-rounder Caedan Wallace and fourth-rounder Layden Robinson were at left tackle and left guard respectively throughout practice.
The catch of the day came from seventh-round tight end Jaheim Bell, who perfectly followed an over-the-shoulder catch on a fly ball from Maye.
Mayo was asked what he looked for in training. His response: “First of all, yesterday was more of an evaluation day to see how these guys are doing physically and mentally. Today we will have a little more competitive exercises. … I think what we have to remember is that this is football, so there have been a lot of stars in shorts and jerseys who never touched the field. We’ll just have to wait and see until we get the pads on.”
Regarding Mayo’s first impressions of Maye: “Look, he has a lot to work on. There is a lot to work on. But I have no doubt he will put in the time. You didn’t see him here yesterday, but he was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else.”