New England Patriots Fans should feel much better when it comes to Drake May after seeing some positive things on the field in the team’s second preseason game. In fact, fans should be optimistic and continue to hope that he could be the man under center in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.
Selected with the number 3 overall selection in the 2024 NFL DraftSince the draft, the debate has been whether the Patriots should bench him or throw him into the fire. With an unstable offensive line and a failure to build game-changing talent around him, choosing Jacoby Brissett over the rookie seemed like an easy decision for new head coach Jerod Mayo. But that’s not really how it works out.
Despite a slow start to training camp, Maye has shown progress, and he showed signs of that in his team’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. In that game, he showed off his athleticism by climbing out of the pocket and wowing the Gillette Stadium crowd with a keeper into the end zone.
First @NFL TD 👏@DrakeMaye2 | #NEPats
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/rDzGw6MwtI
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) 16 August 2024
The most significant move was a deep bomb Javon Baker that was a ten. If the rookie wide receiver had held onto the ball, that would have been the highlight of the preseason. Heck, it was still a highlight and a reason why Maye still has a chance to be the Day 1 starter.
To Mayo’s credit, he has never ruled out the possibility, but given Maye’s progress and Brissett’s struggles, there is a chance that Maye could face Joe Burrow on Opening Day.
When Mayo spoke about the North Carolina product after Thursday night’s preseason game, he was asked if the team was using plays and formations that Mayo was familiar with. The Patriots coach seemed more than satisfied with his answer.
“It’s very important to do these things,” Mayo said. via the team’s official website. “Like you said, he did it in college. And the problem is that from college to here, it’s all about the language. Once you can start to tie the language you learned in college to the language you’re learning now, the game gets a little easier from an Xs and Os perspective. I’m excited to see him build on where he is today. But he’s done a lot of good things.”
He also showed composure in the pocket, which is one of the things Mayo praised as well. He also continued to use the word “competition,” which leaves the door open for Maye to start sooner rather than later if he continues to build on his progress both in practice and what he showed in the game against the Eagles, a game in which he showed he can make plays himself with the scrum out of the pocket and quarterback keeper into the end zone. Could these be factors that lead Mayo to choose Maye?
“For me, it’s always about competition, and that goes for all positions,” Mayo said. “Even if Drake beats Jacoby (Brissett), he’s earned that role. And we don’t really take that into account, when he’s ready, and if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play; he’ll start.”
Next. A bold prediction for Drake Maye, the New England Patriots’ 3rd pick in 2024. A bold prediction for Drake Maye, the New England Patriots’ 3rd pick in 2024. dark
Maye has looked better in game action, but that was just a small snippet. Given Mayo’s comments and his lack of commitment to sticking with Brissett, the No. 3 overall pick seems to have done enough to change the narrative at least a little. If you’re a Patriots fan, that hope still exists. If he gets more comfortable and makes eye-opening plays over the next three weeks before the season starts, putting Maye in the starting lineup will be not only an easy decision for Mayo, but the right one.
