A new era is starting in New England. The New England Patriots have some new faces in key positions on the team. In particular, their quarterback-head coach duo is quite different. Rookie QB Drake Maye will be leading the team on the field, while rookie coach Jerod Mayo will be calling the shots from the sidelines. It’s going to be interesting to see how this team works out.
With rookie minicamp starting, Patriots fans are curious to see how Maye and the other rookies are holding up. Other rookie minicamps have been relatively positive. True to his Bill Belichick roots, though, Mayo was pretty tight-lipped about his rookie. In fact, Mayo was pretty realistic in his assessment of Maye, per ESPN.
“He has a lot to work on. A lot to work on,” Mayo said Saturday, repeating himself. “But I have no doubt that he will put the time in. He was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else.”
Woof. Rookies do have a lot to work on. That’s doubly true for quarterbacks, who have to adjust from college defenses to NFL-level defenses. There’s a reason why it was such common belief that rookies had to sit a year first before starting full-time. Still, for a coach to admit this out loud is a bit jarring. Patriots fans might get a tad bit worried about this statement.
Still, it’s just the rookie minicamp. Training camp is yet to officially start, so there’s plenty of time to work on Maye’s skills. He certainly has the arm talent, but can he keep up with the speed of the NFL? The Patriots are hoping the answer to that question is a resounding yes.
Drake Maye and the Patriots’ QB room
Interestingly, Maye isn’t the only rookie quarterback in the Patriots’ QB room. In the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pats selected Joe Milton. While Milton’s biggest strength is his arm, he arguably needs more work than Maye. That’s beside the point, though. The real question is… why did the Pats still select a QB after presumably drafting their franchise QB?
Well, the logic was that Milton’s talent was simply too good to pass up. This is what new executive vice-president of player personnel Eliot Wolfe told Adam Schefter on his podcast.
“The Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said on “The Adam Schefter Podcast” that University of Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III had “too much talent” to pass over him in the sixth round of the NFL draft (No. 193), even though the Patriots had already selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3.”
Interesting. A near-identical scenario played out a few years ago in Washington. The then-Redskins selected Robert Griffin III with one of their top picks. However, in that same draft, they also took Kirk Cousins later. With RGIII dealing with injuries, Cousins took over and became the starter. The Patriots are hoping that scenario doesn’t happen in New England.
Still, developing two quarterbacks is a bit of an odd move, especially considering that only one of them will be the full-time starter. It will be a difficult line to ride for the Patriots. Still, this could all work out in the end.
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