ESPN Analyst Boldly Praises Patriots’ Drake Maye’s Pocket Presence

Drake Maye has more viewers jumping on his bandwagon during a breakout second season.

Maye led the New England Patriots to a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, amassing a career-high 380 passing yards and erasing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. The 23-year-old garnered effusive praise from Mina Kimes after the Week 16 outing.

Kimes marveled over Maye’s ability to navigate the pocket on ESPN’s “NFL Live.”

“I think he is one of the best young managers of a pocket I have ever seen,” Kimes declared on Monday. “I don’t think that’s hyperbolic.”

New England’s banged-up offensive line ceded three sacks on Sunday, but Maye avoided more damage. Kimes cited an “unbelievable” play in which he created more time in traffic before completing a pass to tight end Hunter Henry.

“Not normal,” Kimes wrote when posting a clip of Maye’s pocket maneuvering on social media.

An ESPN graphic noted that Maye recorded 29 of his 31 completions for 373 yards inside the pocket in Week 16. Kimes was impressed by how poised the MVP candidate has looked under pressure throughout the season.

“He’s so good at not getting rattled by the rush, not bailing, consistently stepping up, keeping his eyes downfield and making difficult throws,” Kimes said. “I thought that was really on display in this game, as it’s been all year.”

Maye can follow Tuesday’s Pro Bowl selection by steering the Patriots to a Week 17 win over the New York Jets.