Every rookie transitions to the NFL is in their own time. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has made the most of his.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye made his first start for the Patriots (3-10,1-3) in mid-October and has kept a tight grasp on the keys to New England. While the rookie has only been able to pick up two wins in his first eight starts, he’s shown potential for a promising future as an NFL quarterback, and people around the league have noticed.
Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon is one of those people.
Gannon praised Maye’s progression at Wednesday’s press conference, as the Cardinals (6-7,2-2) prepare to take on New England on Sunday.
whiteout incoming… ???? pic.twitter.com/9tofpJqatL
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 11, 2024
“I think he’s playing probably his best ball right now, probably just because of the experience,” Gannon said. “His skill set jumps out. You can see why he was taken so high.”
Maye took control of the Patriots offense in Week 6, following a five-game losing streak under veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Maye earned his first win of the season in his third career start against the New York Jets (3-10,1-3).
He has been justifiably loose with the ball in his rookie year, throwing at least one interception in his last five games. He’s thrown six of his eight total interceptions during that stretch. He does his best to make up for those turnovers with touchdowns.
Maye has thrown for a touchdown every time he’s thrown an interception this season. His 11 passing touchdowns on the year were a product of 172-256 completed passes (67.2%) that have accumulated to 1,696 passing yards.
“He’s accurate, he’s got a big arm and the extension shows up — that’s real,” Gannon said. “He extends plays. He can beat you with his legs, getting out of the pocket to throw it or run it. So those are always hard guys to defend.”
When he isn’t taking the ball himself, rushing for 345 yards and a touchdown this year, he looks to his tight ends, Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper.
The Patriots offense runs through their tight ends. Hunter is the teams leader in receptions (58) and receiving yards (610), catching 42 of those passes for 430 yards. Henry’s lone touchdown came from Maye in the rookie QB’s first start. He’s averaged six catches in the last three games, catching a high of seven passes in New England’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts (6-7,1-3) over the weekend. Hooper is the team’s leader in receiving touchdowns, catching two of his three total touchdowns in the last two games. He’s caught four passes in each game of the Patriots’ active three-game losing streak.
“It’s challenging cause it structures how you’re gonna decide to play,” Gannon said. “They definitely impact the game. You gotta be aware of them.”
Maye is more than aware of where his tight ends are on the field. Gannon and the Cardinals should be too.
More than halfway through the season and with a significant amount of playing time under his belt, Gannon knows what Maye is capable of. It’s not a lot of tape on the rookie, but it will have to be enough if the Cardinals wants to break its losing streak.
“I would always prefer more tape to give you a little more data… but when he kinda took over, and where they are now — and (offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has done a good job of kinda adapting as the year went on — I think they’ve changed some things, to my eye,” Gannon said. “I think he’s doing a good job at putting them into position to make plays.”
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
