New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye came crashing down to earth during Wednesday’s practice. The Patriots held their third and final mandatory minicamp practice of the week on Wednesday. Maye will have his next opportunity to practice with the Patriots during training camp.
The Patriots rookie has had up-and-down performances during practices this spring.
Drake Maye practiced well on Monday
As previously discussed on GH, Maye had his best practice on Monday:
Maye’s performance on Monday flipped the script from what reporters had witnessed in recent weeks. According to Doug Kyed with the Boston Herald, Maye had his best practice as a Patriot. His performance, albeit as the QB2, was better than Brissett:
“Best practice so far for Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye. I had him 18/23 with touchdowns to Jaheim Bell, Kayshon Boutte and La’Michael Pettway. Jacoby Brissett was 12/23. Bailey Zappe threw an interception to Kyle Dugger and was 1/4. Joe Milton III was 3-6 in limited action.”
Maye’s processing speed is a concern
Two days later, the entire Patriots offense had a rough start on Wednesday. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett struggled behind an offensive line that couldn’t keep its blocks. He finished 10-19 passing in team drills.
Howe reported Maye is having trouble processing the Patriots defense:
Maye, on the other hand, flashed more frequently. He finished 8-of-15 with an interception Wednesday and 27-of-42 (64.3 percent) overall in minicamp, including 18-of-28 with the pick in 11-on-11s.
There were times earlier this week when his processing speed looked slow — remember, he’s been practicing for a month — and that was an issue early Wednesday with a miscommunication on his second pass and then a play later when his back-footed throw to receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was easily intercepted by cornerback Azizi Hearn. A period later, Maye almost threw another pick when a defender crept underneath tight end Hunter Henry’s route.
Maye finished the New England Patriots practice on fire
Maye did better in the red zone when he threw three touchdown passes in a row. He finished the day by throwing a “gotta-have-it” touchdown. Howe thinks Maye has done enough to earn a chance to compete for the QB1 job in training camp.
Maye will need to process a little quicker if he wants to start. Or at least he’ll need to process faster than Brissett. Given how Brissett has performed this week, Maye could surpass him in August.
Maye credited the Patriots’ skilled defense with confusing him during his pre-snap reads. Next month, he’ll get more practice against the Patriots’ elite defensive unit. If Maye can master how to work around the Patriots’ defense in training camp, the team should have confidence for the No. 3 pick to play against most of the league’s inferior defenses.
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