Patriots’ Jerod Mayo Impressed With This Drake Maye Progression

There were a lot of questions regarding how quickly Drake Maye could transition from college to the NFL, and the Patriots rookie seems to be making quick strides.

Maye operated as the No. 2 quarterback in the final days of OTAs and on the first day of minicamp. However, New England coaches have been impressed with his footwork and his ability to learn the offense.

His dedication to the game became clear to K.J. Osborn. The veteran wide receiver had a practice repetition with Jacoby Brissett where he later determined he should have adjusted his route based on the defense. Maye had a similar idea.

“His locker is two lockers down, and he said, ‘K.J., I wanted to tell you something,'” Osborn told reporters, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “He wasn’t even the quarterback (on the play but) he’s locked in, watching film, giving me a tip. That’s somebody you can see is studying the game.”

Head coach Jerod Mayo on Monday was asked about his observations of Maye after being told the Osborn story.

“Yeah, I think you hit it on the head. A guy who he’s dialed in every rep, even the reps that he’s not in,” Mayo told reporters, per team transcript. “I think it’s smart of him to go talk to a guy like K.J. who has had good quarterbacks in the past. You know, so those guys can be on the same page. The same thing with Jacoby and the rest of the quarterbacks is being on the same page with the guys they are going to throw the ball to, is definitely huge. You know, it’s always good when a guy is curious and he has a natural curiosity about football, X’s and O’s, and all that stuff.”

The Patriots still are preaching patience, and Mayo noted Monday that practice reps are not indicative of a depth chart since he does not have one set up. However, fans can’t help but get excited to hear that Maye has been putting in the work throughout camp to compete with Brissett for the starting job.