Drake Maye Watch: Patriots Rookie Puts Together Best Practice

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Drake Maye struggled when the Patriots first put the pads on during training camp, but that was a different story Friday.

The 2024 third-overall pick bounced back Thursday, but his performance during padded practice this week had outside observers wondering how far behind the 21-year-old was.

On Day 8 of Patriots training camp, Maye looked sharper when he went 11-of-14. The North Carolina product didn't light it up, but he did have a nice deep throw to tight end Mitchell Wilcox during team drills. Maye also threw touchdowns to Kayshon Boutte and LaMichael Pettway during 7-on-7s.

"It’s mental for us. Definitely got a good day, got to look at the film," Maye said. "I think one of the best things that David Andrews told me is 'it’s never too good. It's never too bad.' Just learning from it and we're doing better operationally. That's what we've been focusing on -- not too many false starts and missed assignments. I felt like we did a good job from that standpoint. Trying to hang in there."

Maye's accuracy was partly due to throwing short, and there were two times during team drills when he chose to scramble out of the pocket for extra yards. It's something that isn't necessarily bad on game day, but you'd rather see him make a play with his arm than with his legs. However, Maye noted he's trying to play "smart" out on the field and credited the defense for challenging him and the offense; after all, it would be much worse to see the rookie force plays that aren't there. Jacoby Brissett did have the perfect piece of advice for Maye's slow start at training camp.

"Just keep going, man. It's a long training camp," Brissett said. "I think you always want somebody to come there and you're like do the best you can right now. It's just unrealistic. I think the best thing that he's doing right now is putting one foot in front of the other. Going back out there and going out there competing. The plays are gonna make themselves. It's just about doing the little things day in and day out. That's gonna give you a chance to make the right play."

The little things certainly were done Friday as the offensive line looked better with more consistency between the first and second unit. The biggest blunder came on a Maye rep during competitive drills where Atonio Mafi snapped the ball too low.

Red zone and two-minute drills were the focus for Day 8, and while Maye missed Javon Baker on a post when the rookie wide receiver couldn't get his second foot down, the quarterback progressed his way to Kayshon Boutte before throwing a strong ball to Pettway on a corner in the back right of the end zone.

Fans should be encouraged to see Maye stack up two consecutive days of training camp, but it's also worth noting that Monday's practice script focused on third-and-long plays. The rookie signal-caller acknowledged the defense was great in those situations but also hoped to get better. It does show how important context is when it comes to passing stats.

That being said, Maye believes his time will come when he gets to air the ball out and show off the talent that made him worthy of being a No. 3 overall pick.