The New England Patriots hesitated to start Drake Maye out of the gate this season. The development the rookie has shown in the past several weeks may have shown why the Patriots took that approach.
Talking to reporters Thursday, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said that Maye is a “completely different” player than when he first arrived in Foxborough.
Van Pelt pointed to one play in practice Wednesday as evidence of this. The offensive coordinator said that Maye was going up against New England’s first-team defense when the coaches threw a heavy blitz at him.
Van Pelt said he didn’t give Maye the “answer” to the blitz. It was on the rookie to identify it and make the necessary adjustments.
Maye passed the test with flying colors.
“He got himself out of trouble with the right protection adjustment and the route change and threw a touchdown,” Van Pelt said. So for me, that — Wow, OK, he can get in there and protect himself. He knows the calls he needs to make.
“I don’t know if we’d have gotten that done in Week 1,” he added.
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Maye’s physical traits are a big reason he was a candidate for the Patriots with the No. 3 overall pick. He’s 6-foot-4 with a cannon arm and great athleticism.
But since arriving in New England, Maye’s intangible qualities have impressed coaches — from his leadership to his work ethic.
Van Pelt said that Maye is everything you would want in a young quarterback.” But he notes that the time the rookie spent sitting behind veteran Jacoby Brissett is a big piece of what makes Maye successful right now.
The rookie always had the work ethic and the talent. But now he knows how to put it to use.
“Very impressive with his approach. He studies hard at night, you can tell that,” Van Pelt said. “When you call a new play on a Wednesday practice, he’s already digested the verbiage and can spit it out easily, so I know he’s putting the work in.”
