Breer sheds light on Drake Maye’s development: ‘He’s the real deal’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The arrow on the 2024 New England Patriots is pointing down after back-to-back losses. But the arrow on their future is pointing upward, thanks to the presence of third overall pick Drake Maye.
Although Maye has yet to make his NFL debut and took a hit in his brief Week 3 appearance against the New York Jets, the rookie quarterback is making impressive progress behind the scenes. Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Maye looked “very good” in practice, and as reported by our Phil Perrythe 22-year-old has impressed his teammates with his composure and demeanor on the training pitch.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shared more encouraging information about Maye during his appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak and Bertrand THURSDAY.
“He’s the real deal, man,” Breer said of Maye. “…There’s definitely some physicality there that’s going to get guys’ attention in practice.”
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The Patriots also had plans to develop Maye. While veteran Jacoby Brissett is the clear starter, Maye still is. get about 30 percent of first team reps in practice.
“The work they did with him to sequence him and get him ready to play, I think, was pretty smart,” Breer said. “Just the way they’re getting him reps, and there’s something hidden with Jacoby that really illustrates the value of having Jacoby and someone who’s already played for Alex Van Pelt.
“You’ve heard the 30 percent number, right? Functionally, the way it works is when they have a piece or a concept that Jacoby is comfortable with and he’s run 100 times, that’s when they take it out and put Maye in.”
As Breer noted, there is “tremendous value” in Maye getting reps with the Patriots’ starting offense in practice. But the UNC product also makes the most of the other 70 percent of the snaps he takes with New England’s scout team.
“There’s value in leading the scouting team,” Breer said. “The Patriots defense throws a lot of volume at you. They try to do a lot of different things, so he can see it. It’s another chance to look at a real NFL defense.
“As I said last week, expectations are he’s going to play at some point this year — and I’m not talking about playing like he played last week; like, start the games.”
Mayo confirmed that Brissett is QB1 until further notice, including during Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. But it’s clear the Patriots are doing everything they can to prioritize the development of their prized rookie.
“The Patriots have been pretty creative in finding ways to make sure he gets the kind of miles he needs before he plays,” Breer said.
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