FOXBOROUGH – Right after Drake Maye was done speaking to the media, he stepped behind a dark blue backdrop covered in Patriots logos and advertisements. There on the vibrant green grass, he was met by fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk.
Before the receiver said a word to his new quarterback, Polk called out to media members and pointed to Maye.
“This is the guy right here,” Polk said. “This is the guy right here, man.”
The comments made Maye laugh. He quickly retorted that since Polk’s jersey number was No. 1, it meant that he was the guy. After that, the two rookies walked side-by-side toward a large concrete staircase.
That took them from the Patriots practice field after their second day of rookie minicamp to the underbelly of Gillette Stadium.
The ‘Drake Maye’ era is officially underway in Foxborough. Saturday marked the first time the media has seen the team’s new quarterback. The No. 3 overall pick didn’t disappoint in this hour-long practice.
“It’s awesome. Exciting just being out here with the guys,” Maye said. “Just trying to soak it all in, have fun, and learn as much as I can.”
Here’s a detailed look at Maye’s day with the Patriots:
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AROUND 11:45 A.M., the rookie quarterback made his way up the large staircase with his new Patriots helmet firmly in his right hand. As he jogged on the practice field for the first time on Saturday, his new head coach, Jerod Mayo was talking about him with the media.
Friday marked the first day of Patriots rookie minicamp. Mayo classified that session as an “evaluation day” where rookies were tested physically and mentally. After that practice ended, Maye stayed inside Gillette Stadium for most of the night, studying the playbook.
When asked about his quarterback, Mayo wanted to temper expectations.
“He has a lot to work on,” Mayo said. “He has a lot to work on, but I have no doubt he’ll put the time in. You didn’t see him yesterday, but he was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else.”
As Mayo spoke, Maye was working in the background with center Ryan Johnson, who was in Foxborough on a tryout.
AT 11 A.M., the practice started with a team warmup. As soon as team trainer Deron Mayo blew his whistle, Maye sprinted out ahead of every one of his offensive teammates.
After one exercise, where players were doing karaoke drills, Maye was met at the sideline by Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh, who delivered a fist bump.
For quarterbacks, the first drill of the day brought Maye and rookie Joe Milton III together with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo.
At 11:08 a.m., the quarterbacks worked on dropbacks. With each step back, Maye and Milton extended their left leg in a flicking motion. This was happening because Van Pelt likes his quarterbacks to stagger their stance with their left foot forward while in the shotgun formation. It helps with timing and rhythm.
The technique will allow Maye to take one less step to set his feet and drop back with more fluidity.
“It’s been good. Kind of the first day, feeling it out and just getting more and more reps,” Maye said. “That’s all something new takes – getting more reps at it. There are some perks to the quick game, it’s a lot quicker. Under center stance – I’m trying out two new stances that I’m getting used to. Just working it, repping it and I felt pretty good here today. I just have to keep working.”
AFTER THAT, MAYE was asked to drop back, avoid a pass rusher to his right, move left, and throw to a target net with three colored squares. McCartney could be seen talking to the players about their footwork in between throws. Both Maye and Milton hit a handful of the squares.
At 11:15 a.m., in Period 2, other players got involved with the quarterbacks. Maye worked behind Johnson, the center he warmed up with. This drill had the quarterback simulating handoffs.
Two minutes later, the quarterbacks took 3-step drops and looked to the right side of the field before firing to a Patriots staff member on the left side. McCartney barked out instructions while Van Pelt and McAdoo watched closely behind the quarterbacks.
Period 3 started with Maye working on his handoffs with undrafted rookie running back DeShaun Fenwick at 11: 22 a.m. These drills ended with the quarterbacks throwing short passes to their paired running backs.
AS PRACTICE WENT ON, the Patriots added more elements to Maye’s workload. In Period 4, at 11: 28 a.m., Maye was throwing to individual receivers. These players were running deep fade routes and out routes. Five minutes later, in Period 5, receivers were running slants and more out routes.
Maye showed off his arm strength during these drills. He didn’t have the same velocity as Milton, who has elite arm strength, but had far more accuracy and touch on his throws.
At 11:37 a.m., the entire offensive line joined the offense. Recent draft picks Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson were on the left side. Maye’s first snap was a handoff to Fenwick. Next, he hit rookie receiver David Wallis, who ran a slant. After that, Maye rolled out of the pocket and connected with rookie tight end Jaheim Bell.
THE REAL FUN, started in Period 7 at 11:47 a.m. For eight minutes, the Patriots ran 7-on-7 drills with the offense going up against the defense. The quarterbacks worked on their short game with most receivers running slants and out routes.
Maye started this drill with Polk, Javon Baker, and Wallis as his receivers. Tryout rookie Terrell Jennings was the running back and Bell was in at tight end. The quarterback’s first throw of the day fell incomplete as it was behind Bell.
After that, none of Maye’s attempts hit the ground again. The quarterback quickly connected with Wallis and tryout receiver Beau Corrales. Next, he connected with Baker on back-to-back throws. His final attempt was a strike to Polk.
Maye finished 5-of-6 on the day and said he was impressed with Polk and Baker.
“They looked good. They made a couple of plays on 7-on-7. I threw a couple behind them and they still made the catches,” Maye said. “I don’t know if we have one on the ground yet here – knock on wood. That’s the goal out here. Routes on air and be 100%. Those guys, they’re going to be some special players.”
AT 11:55 A.M., the practice ended with players running up the ‘hill,’ which is located behind the Patriots practice field. Maye was routinely near the lead of his group as they sprinted and worked on other exercises.
Fifteen minutes later, at 12:10 p.m., Maye met with the media and spoke for five minutes. He detailed the work he put in the night before after his first practice.
“We’ve only had a couple days so we’re trying to pack it all in,” Maye said. “Trying to soak it all in and ask as many questions as I can with coach Van Pelt and T.C. From there, try to draw it up, repeat it, repeat play calls and cadence. It’s been fun. It’s been a lot, but it’s been fun.”
After leaving the practice field, the quarterback said he didn’t plan on leaving Gillette Stadium until the sun went down. His after-practice plan was to lift in the team weight room and then go to some team meetings.
After that, he was planning to go back to the team hotel where the work wouldn’t stop.
“We’re watching film and looking at the script for the next day together,” Maye said. “(We have) a lot of time. We’ve got nothing else to do around here so might as well do football.”
