Patriots HC Jerod Mayo Reveals What He's Learned From Drake Maye

The New England Patriots head coach sounded off on his rookie QB.

Jul 26, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) holds a press conference at training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

While the New England Patriots have had a limited view of their first-year quarterback Drake Maye in the early motions before next season, head coach Jerod Mayo has already seen some great signs from the UNC product in the months leading into their coming campaign.

Coach Mayo was asked about initial impressions from Maye in their first two training camp practices in pads, and he had some praise to shower onto the first-year QB. Mayo stated that Maye's mental toughness and competitiveness have shown out during early reps, with his standout traits being apparent since their draft scouting process.

"Let's rewind a little bit. I got this feeling when we met with Drake in [North] Carolina. Just his overall mental toughness and competitiveness, and he understands that it's not always going to be clean. I will say this, he's handled it very well. I know that the players really enjoy working with him, and he's a competitor."

- Jerod Mayo on Drake Maye

A competitive and hard-working quarterback sounds like the ideal type of player you'd be comfortable placing the future of the franchise in the hands of, and that's exactly what New England's done with their top three pick in Maye.

During the first week of camp, we've seen a few highs and lows from the Patriots rookie quarterback. He's had several highlight-worthy throws and catches with his first-year receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. We've also witnessed some ugly passes from Maye as well-- one standout being a pick-six coming from Matthew Judon.

Rookie to rookie

Drake Maye to Javon Baker pic.twitter.com/RiMJSUsAxh

— Sophie Weller (@sophieewellerr) August 1, 2024

However, as Mayo noted, Maye understands that the development process isn't always a smooth one. These initial reps in camp make the perfect time for the Patriots' rookie QB to get his feet wet in an NFL offense and get comfortable with a new system, coaching staff, and set of teammates.

The expectation is for Maye to start week one as a backup to Jacoby Brissett, but ample time remains between now and the beginning of next season, so a few big-time preseason performances could put an early QB1 status on the Patriots' franchise guy. Stay tuned.

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