Drake Maye throws a pass at Patriots training camp at Gillette Stadium. Photo Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is settling into a groove as New England wraps up its mandatory minicamp. On Monday, Maye capped a red zone drill with a touchdown pass to rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, drawing cheers from teammates.
After practice, Maye shared his thoughts on his progress during the offseason.
“I think we’re catching the stride; I think I’m starting to find a stride,” he said. “I’m bummed out we’re about to leave, but it’s fun.”
The Patriots will hold one more practice on Tuesday before breaking for the summer. Maye has a big moment coming up — he’s set to marry longtime girlfriend Ann Michael Hudson on June 21. After the wedding, his focus will shift to preparing for training camp, which begins in mid-to-late July.
From Rookie Struggles to Steady Growth
Maye, entering his second NFL season, has shown clear improvement since spring practices began in late April. During his first open practice, he threw four interceptions — although one may have been wiped out by a penalty. Since then, he’s taken better care of the football.
“You can take that with a grain of salt, but at the same time, you don’t want to turn the football over and get in bad habits,” Maye said. “I feel like I’ve done a good job of trying to keep the football in our hands, and that’s one of our key focuses.”
He added that learning to take the easy throw rather than always waiting for the big play has been a key part of his development.
“It’s good for us to install plays, get a feel for what I like,” he said. Coach McDaniels has been awesome about asking what I like and what he expects from me on certain plays. “So it’s been good to be able to get that outside and on the field.”
Vrabel Focused on Leadership Development
New head coach Mike Vrabel has been vocal about Maye’s potential. On The Bill O’Brien Podcast, Vrabel explained that he’s been working closely with Maye on leadership, mental toughness, and understanding the demands of playing quarterback in the NFL.
Before Monday’s practice, Vrabel said that while Maye still has plenty of room to grow, he’s already shown natural leadership qualities.
“I think it’s a unique position being 22, so I think there is a lot of room to grow.” Vrabel said. I think there’s a lot of natural leadership qualities. I have to encourage him and to put him in those positions to do that.”
One of those moments came after practice Monday when Vrabel had the offense line up across the goal line. He placed Maye in the center to call out the cadence before the group ran 30-yard sprints. If anyone jumped early, another sprint was added.
Maye’s voice echoed across the field, and he said his focus was on keeping everyone in sync so no one got a penalty.
Aiming to Lead in Year Two
Now in his second season, Maye is working to step up and take on a bigger role in the locker room.
“It’s an opportunity for me to take a jump from last year being a rookie trying to come in here and earn my stripes through hard work,” he said. “This year is the same approach — you got new guys in here, new staff, keep on getting to know everybody, show my work ethic.”
As the season approaches, Maye hopes to lead more than just the offense.
“From there, as the season comes around, try to take the next step in leadership and leading the offense and hopefully leading this football team.”
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This report used information from ESPN.
