Patriots want Drake Maye to learn one thing from Tom Brady

Inevitably, Drake Maye will always have to deal with Tom Brady's shadow.

He wasn't his successor, and he's not even the same type of quarterback, but that's just what he'll have to get by as the new face of the New England Patriots.

Of course, that's a heavy cross to bear, not to mention an unfair burden. Then again, that doesn't mean he can't learn a thing or two from the franchise's all-time best player.

According to The Athletic's Chad Graff, that's exactly what they want him to do, and they used minicamp to help him be a bit more Brady-ish.

The Patriots want Drake Maye to read defenses like Tom Brady

“During minicamp, they purposefully didn’t give Maye a play to run out of the huddle. The goal was for him to study the opposing defense, figure out a play that would work against it, communicate the plan to teammates, then execute it. Tom Brady once mastered this Josh McDaniels-led offense. Now they want Maye to do the same,” Graff wrote.

Brady was one of the most cerebral signal-callers to ever lace them up. His ability to dissect opposing defenses was all-time great.

Of course, that also required hours upon hours of film study and breakdown, and learning the opposing team's tendencies, sometimes as well as his own team's plays.

Maye's work ethic and leadership have always been high points, so there's no doubt that he can make big strides in his game if he adds that pre-snap reading ability to his repertoire.

He entered the league as an intriguing, somewhat raw prospect with untapped physical potential, and he took a huge leap in his rookie season.

He has some huge shoes to fill, and asking him to be the next Brady is pointless and unfair. Still, it certainly won't hurt to take a page or two from his book.