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The Drake Maye Report: In pads, pressure heats up rookie originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO — On Monday, the pads came on at Patriots practice. That meant a more intensified focus on the running game. But it also meant a more physical pass-rush. It meant more handsy defensive backs, both at the line of scrimmage and at the catch point.
It ended up being a difficult day for the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft. Let’s get to the details in our Day 5 edition of the Drake Maye Report.
The rep report
Maye received six reps in the lone 7-on-7 period of practice to go along with 13 reps in 11-on-11 periods. Those 19 total snaps were about in line with the 18 competitive reps he saw in the previous practice.
And, as has been the case over the last several practices, Maye and top quarterback Jacoby Brissett got about the same volume of work. Though it was Brissett who was the first quarterback up in all team periods, he also got six 7-on-7 snaps and 14 plays of 11-on-11 work. Brissett ended up with one more rep, in all likelihood, because there was one botched snap count with Brissett that might’ve led to a do-over from the coaching staff.
Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton continued to split the remaining quarterback reps, but the way in which Maye has been handled has been consistent throughout camp. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is trying to develop Maye with real action on the field, not just having him watch from the sidelines.
Crunching the numbers
Maye finished the 7-on-7 period completing just two of his six attempts, including one interception. He went 1-for-4 in 11-on-11 periods and was “sacked” during one rep. In all, he went 3-for-10 in competitive periods.
Brissett, meanwhile, went 4-for-6 in 7-on-7 work. He was nearly perfect in 11-on-11s, going 8-for-9, with his lone incompletion coming thanks to a drop by rookie wideout Ja’Lynn Polk. In all, he went 12-for-15, in what was decisively the best quarterback performance of the day.
