Bill Belichick Offers Candid Opinion On Patriots Rookie QB Drake Maye

Drake Maye won’t get the opportunity to be coached by Bill Belichick like past Patriots quarterbacks.

But the rookie signal-caller will still get critiqued by the legendary hoodie.

Belichick, as part of his various media gigs, will offer up his thoughts on the NFL and Maye came into his focus on a recent episode of Underdog Fantasy’s “Coach with Bill Belichick.” And it’s clear Belichick believes Maye has a long way to go.

“You like his size and you like his arm. I think his inexperience really showed up in the preseason as it did a little bit at North Carolina,” Belichick said alongside former Patriots staffer and Belichick confidant Mike Lombardi. “And I think he needs a lot of seasoning in terms of reading coverages, overall throwing mechanics and consistency. Is he a big, fast athlete? Yeah. But I think it’s going to take more than that to be ready to play quarterback in the National Football League.”

Much of what Belichick said reflects how he viewed Maye immediately after the Patriots selected the 22-year-old with the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft.

The Patriots obviously feel similarly when it comes to Maye. New England opted to have Maye, who completed 21-of-34 (61.8%) of his passes for 192 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions to go along with a rushing score in the preseason, serve as Jacoby Brissett’s backup to start the regular season despite Brissett’s clear limitations.

It’s a role for Maye that differs from the two quarterbacks — Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels — drafted directly before him. Both Williams and Daniels will start for the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, respectively.

Maye needs time to develop and understand the nuances of the game, but Belichick also thinks Maye needs to progress in making the routine plays, like completing checkdowns, slant routes and open seam balls.

“I think Maye probably has more of these than the other quarterbacks do based on what we’ve seen in preseason, which is, granted, a limited sample,” Belichick said.