For a second straight day, the New England Patriots put on their full pads on Friday. This meant that, for a second straight day, the intensity was high in Foxborough.
To recap the sixth practice of the summer, please make sure to head over to our Patriots training camp notebook. In the meantime, here is who caught our eye during the session.
Advertisement
Standout of the day
QB Drake Maye: The Patriots’ starting quarterback was close to perfect on Friday, stacking a second straight strong practice. Maye completed 19 of 21 combined pass attempts in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s, with his lone incompletions being by choice: he took one throwaway in 7s and another in 11s, even though the latter was seemingly picked off by Christian Gonzalez for the interception.
Still, Maye impressed. Not only is he spreading the ball around well, he also is making multiple highlight-reel throws each day. On Friday, a 7-on-7 touchdown to Romeo Doubs over Gonzalez’s outstretched arms was a highlight, as was a deep touchdown to A.J. Brown.
The connection with those two is developing nicely, and so is the Patriots’ passing offense as a whole. Ultimately, it all goes back to No. 10.
Advertisement
Other performances of note
WR Romeo Doubs: After A.J. Brown had his best of camp on Thursday, the other high-profile offseason addition at wide receiver followed suit on Friday. Doubs had his best practice of the summer, having successful reps in 1-on-1s, 2-on-2s and 7-on-7s — the latter including a contested touchdown versus Christian Gonzalez. He was not targeted in 11-on-11s, but it still felt like big step in the right direction.
WR Cameron Dorner: The Patriots’ undrafted rookie receivers are unlikely to compete for roster spots; there simply is too much talent ahead of them on the depth chart. They are in a fight for the practice squad, however, and Dorner seems to have started separating himself from the bunch. He had another good practice on Friday and has built a good rapport with third-string quarterback Behren Morton.
OT Caleb Lomu: With Morgan Moses limited, the Patriots’ rookie tackle saw increased action on Friday. He responded with an up-and-down performance. While Lomu did look solid during team drills, he had a rough 1-on-1 blocking period. Most of the media tent had him going 0-4 in his matchups with losses to Bradyn Swinson twice and once each against Elijah Ponder and Amari Gainer. He seemed to particularly struggle with speed.
Advertisement
OL Mehki Butler and OL Caedan Wallace: It looks like the second-string offense has a new member. After the former third-round pick Wallace served as both a backup left and right guard during the spring and early training camp, sophomore Mehki Butler filled that role on Friday. That is a nice promotion for Butler, while the end of the road might be nearing for Wallace.
The Patriots will hold their seventh practice of training camp on Saturday. Gates are scheduled to open at 9:15 p.m. ET for that session, with practice again set to start approximately an hour later.
Read the full article here