The Drake Maye era in Foxborough is upon us. According to multiple reports, the third-overall pick will start for the Patriots in Sunday's game vs. the Texans at Gillette Stadium.
Maye will be under center for New England when they take on Houston this week. Maye has been progressing behind the scenes through a multitude of avenues. Head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed that Maye has been taking 30% percent of the first-team reps in practice, with the team prioritizing his long-term development. Furthermore, Maye told Patriots.com that he was staying after practice to throw routes to receivers, utilizing the Pats virtual reality technology, and wearing an earpiece on the sideline to "play the game" mentally while Brissett was starting in the first five games.
The Patriots brass has taken a slower approach with the 22-year-old. For Maye, it was making sure his footwork and pocket mechanics improved after developing what some might call bad habits during his time at North Carolina. Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt also spoke about Maye mastering the mental side of the game, specifically the pre-snap "tools" at his disposal to have answers against the defense.
There were also things out of Maye's control that were contributing to him starting the season as the backup quarterback. New England's offensive line ranks last in pass-blocking win rate, while the highest ranking receiver in ESPN's wide receiver score metric on the roster is second-year wideout DeMario Douglas, who ranks 43rd among 91 pass-catchers. There is also a book out on the Patriots offense, with opposing defenses playing a league-high rate of man coverage and single-high safety structures vs. New England: load the box to stop the run, play tight coverage to make the quarterback hold the ball, and cause an NFL-high pressure rate on Brissett (46.3%).
From this perspective, the Patriots were cautious about playing Maye at the start of the year because the rookie quarterback needs to be supported. However, the offense sinking to 31st in scoring (12.4 PPG) and last in average passing yards (119.4) amidst a four-game losing streak couldn't wait any longer to get the talented rookie on the field.
The question for Van Pelt and the offensive staff is how they will devise a game plan to set Maye up for success. Between the preseason and 12 drop-backs in the fourth quarter vs. the Jets, Maye only dropped back from under center on four of his 50 drop-backs. Van Pelt has talked about running the offense from under center being a major component of his system, and the Pats were tied for sixth with an under-center rate of 38% through five weeks.
With Maye, will the offense shift to more shotgun? Has the third-overall pick made enough progress dropping back from under center, something Maye did not do in college, that he's ready to play from under center in a regular season game? We'll find out on Sunday.
Speaking about Sunday, Maye will be thrown into a difficult matchup. Granted, it's the NFL, so all opponents are difficult. Still, the Texans are the third-ranked defense in DVOA, have the top pressure rate in the league, and have an innovative defensive-minded head coach in DeMeco Ryans. Houston intercepted first-overall pick Caleb Williams twice and sacked him seven times in his second career start back in Week 2: hey, rookie, welcome to the NFL.
Although we'll have to wait to see the results, this is undeniably exciting news for Patriots nation. We've all been waiting patiently for the Maye era to begin, and the flashes the No. 3 pick has shown in training camp, the preseason, and mop-up duty vs. the Jets were great. Maye has the physical tools to elevate those around him by making plays with his arm and legs.
Dating back to April's draft, we've been waiting to write these words: Drake Maye is the Patriots starting quarterback.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
