Ben Volin of the Boston Globe raised eyebrows when he mentioned that sixth-round draft decide Joe Milton III was outperforming Drake Maye, the No. 3 selection of this yr’s draft, within the early days of coaching camp.
Longtime Boston sports activities reporter Michael Holley expanded on Maye’s summer time struggles throughout a latest NBC Sports activities Boston look.
“I watched Drake Maye in faculty,” Holley defined, as shared by Sean Savage of the New York Publish. “I liked him in faculty. You guys know that. He was an incredible faculty participant. At occasions in North Carolina, individuals compared him to Justin Herbert, I stated, ‘I can see that.’ Individuals compared him to Josh Allen. I can see that at North Carolina. At the moment, in Foxborough, you understand who I noticed? The ghost of Mac Jones. I noticed the ghost of Mac Jones.”
Jones earned a Professional Bowl nod as a rookie after New England made him the fifteenth general decide of the 2021 NFL Draft however then badly regressed throughout the subsequent two seasons amid rumors relating to his relationship with former Patriots head coach Invoice Belichick. Belichick pulled Jones from video games 4 totally different occasions throughout the 2023 season, and the 25-year-old spent the ultimate six contests of the marketing campaign on the bench earlier than he was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars this previous March.
“He was horrible,” Holley added about what he noticed from Maye. “He was horrible in each sense of the phrase. He couldn’t get something proper.”
In equity to Maye, it was no secret forward of the draft he was coming into the NFL as a piece in progress who would wish to enhance a number of features of his recreation earlier than he was able to face a stay protection in a significant matchup. It was made clear just lately that the Patriots would really feel tremendous about veteran Jacoby Brissett beginning over Maye for many and even all the upcoming season.
As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Brissett as an enormous -900 betting favourite to start out over Maye (+550) for New England’s regular-season opener on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8. Maye’s probabilities of serving as New England’s QB1 versus Cincinnati could basically disappear if he appears fully misplaced when the Patriots start the preseason with a house recreation towards the Carolina Panthers subsequent Thursday night time.
