The Patriots obviously saw a lot to like about quarterback Drake Maye in order to draft him with the third overall pick last month, but they know he isn’t a finished product after 26 college starts.
Head coach Jerod Mayo drove that point home during a press conference at the team’s rookie minicamp this weekend. Mayo was asked to give an assessment of Maye’s work in his first practice time with the team and Mayo’s answer focused on how much room the quarterback has to improve.
“Early impressions of Drake? Look, he has a lot to work on,” Mayo said, via a transcript from the team. “A lot to work on. But I have no doubt that he will put the time in. You didn’t see him out here yesterday, but he was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else.”
The Patriots plan to have Maye compete with veteran Jacoby Brissett for the starting job heading into the 2024 season and the rookie will have to keep putting the time in if he’s going to wind up seeing the field early in his Patriots career.