The success of the New England Patriots in the short and long term largely will depend on the development of Drake Maye.
The 22-year-old quarterback, who the Patriots drafted No. 3 overall in 2024, had a solid rookie campaign. He completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 421 yards (7.8 per carry) and two more touchdowns.
One of the few weak spots from Maye’s first season in New England was turnovers. He threw 10 interceptions and fumbled six times in 13 games. Not all of those turnovers were his fault, but ball security — especially at the quarterback position — is vitally important.
🔊 Next Pats: NOBODY PANIC about Drake Maye’s interceptions; getting to know rookie Craig Woodson | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Going into Year 2, turnovers are one area where Maye will be expected to show significant improvement. And that’s why it was interesting when Maye threw four interceptions during Tuesday’s OTA practice at Gillette Stadium.
Our Patriots insider Tom E. Curran joined NBC Sports Boston show Boston Sports Tonight on Thursday to share what he saw on those Maye interceptions, and why mistakes like that won’t be tolerated as much as they might have been last season.
“Each (interception) had its own story,” Curran explained, as seen in the video player above. “One was a defensive hold. One appeared to be a miscommunication. One was a great play by Christian Gozalez. And one it looked like Maye airmailed the wide receiver.
“So you can explain them away and say, it’s May, who cares? But you can also say, if you’re a reporter, I don’t think I’ve ever seen four interceptions from a quarterback in any kind of practice. And I certainly haven’t seen four interceptions in nine throws. I’m not saying he’s going to have that kind of a season, but you’re not out there in May running plays, standing in a huddle, sweating your ass off and running gassers and everything else that they did, just so the play can end in the wrong team’s hands. You’re not doing that.
“And I don’t think Drake Maye is going to find the tenor of the Patriots in 2025 to be, ‘Ah, damn, we weren’t looking for that, but we’ll get them on the next play.’ I just don’t think Josh McDaniels is gonna work that way. I don’t think Mike Vrabel is gonna work that way.”
Maye was working with a lackluster offensive line and one of the worst groups of wide receivers in the league last season. He also was a rookie. Therefore, he didn’t take a ton of heat for some of the turnovers he committed. And many of them were typical rookie mistakes.
This season likely will be viewed differently. He’s in Year 2, and the team around him has improved quite a bit. The coaching staff also was overhauled and upgraded. In other words: The expectations are higher in 2025.
“I think if you look at Drake Maye and his age, his lofty ability and draft status, and the fact that he is looked at as a franchise savior, and he’s a very presentable and seemingly mentally tough and gifted guy, I don’t know how often people have looked at him and said, ‘Cut the crap. What are you doing? What are you thinking?’ But I think that’s gonna happen this year,” Curran said. “How does he react?”
Maye doesn’t seem too worried about increased pressure and expectations, though. He was asked about that during his first press conference of the offseason earlier this month.
“There’s enough pressure playing this position in this league. You take it,” Maye told reporters on May 1. “There’s guys around you who want to make plays and can make plays for you. I don’t think there’s any added pressure. It’s the NFL, so every week you gotta bring it.
“If there is added pressure, I think you want it. I want the ball in my hands in crunch time.”
Read the full article here