FOXBORO — Marcus Jones saw this practice route coming.
The receiver across from him had shot straight upfield. Jones backpedaled, waiting for him to break. And there it was, a 45-degree turn toward the sideline to confirm his suspicions: corner route.
Time to pounce.
Jones undercut the scout-team wideout, priming himself to snatch an interception and …
It didn’t matter.
Drake Maye ripped a pass over Jones’ head and near the sideline, where only his receiver could snatch it; high and away from any encroaching defenders. A perfect throw to beat great defense.
Maye’s practice performance, including the play above, ultimately pushed the Patriots to start him Sunday. Not that team leadership, long smitten with the 22-year-old, needed much convincing. Once Jerod Mayo saw Maye tighten his footwork and develop his command of the offense over the last five weeks, building on a late summer push he made for the summer job, the rookie’s moment had arrived.
Teammates could Maye making a charge.
“I’ve definitely seen where he’s reading through his progressions way better,” Jones said. “And that comes with reps, especially at the quarterback position. That’s the main thing, for sure.”
Maye’s arm talent and athleticism were his chief selling points as a prospect, and the two traits Mayo highlighted specifically in his press conference Wednesday. Theoretically, Maye should be able to better escape the pressure that hounded Jacoby Brissett on 48.5% of his dropbacks through the Patriots’ first five games. Brissett took close to 10 hits per game behind the worst pass-protecting offensive line in the NFL, which will now stand between Maye and the Texans on Sunday.
“Oh, yeah I’ve seen it in practice,” Pats defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale said of Maye’s speed. “I feel like people look at Drake like he’s tall and all that, but he’s got some wheels on him, too. He can extend plays.”
Maye’s maturity struck defenders, as well. Asked to recount another play where the rookie had impressed, Jones reached back to the summer; a few moments where it became clear his mental skills were catching up to his physical gifts and now amplifying them.
“Even in training camp, he had some plays where he’s looking off the safety, and then throwing on the run. It definitely shows up, for sure,” Jones said.
Two weeks ago, third-string rookie quarterback Joe Milton detailed another Maye win over the starting defense. Working as the scout-team quarterback that week, he read out a favorite 49ers high-low passing concept that led to a long pass to Kayshon Boutte reception after Maye had baited the safety into jumping his first read.
“The safety was just in the middle of the field, and (Maye) dropped back, looked to the right, and the safety just flew over there,” Milton told the Herald. “Barely looking, he came back and threw the backside dig route. (It was) 18 yards, and we always get (excited) for that, because it’s hard to manipulate sometimes at quarterback.”
The job for Mayo’s staff now is to mold the offense around their new quarterback. It’s unclear how much they might change, perhaps pivoting to more shotgun sets or downfield throws, places and plays where Maye thrived in college at North Carolina. But the most consistent part of the Patriots’ offense has been their under-center run game, which naturally complements their under-center play-action package; a hallmark of their system under offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
Mayo hinted Wednesday the Pats could incorporate Maye into their run plays.
“It’s hard to put a percentage on how much the offense will change,” Mayo said. “What I will say is we have core concepts that all of the quarterbacks have to know how to go out there and execute. With that being said, his athleticism definitely opens up more plays.”
Many veterans echoed Mayo’s messaging about throwing the organization’s full support behind the rookie ahead of his first start. Ekuale was among them. He, like Mayo, didn’t require much convincing after Maye’s recent performance in practice.
“I think Drake is ready for this opportunity,” he said. “We’ve just gotta rally behind him like we rallied behind Jacoby when he was the starter.”
So had Maye ever beaten Ekuale in practice, like he did with Jones? Either by escaping his pass rush around the edge or side-stepping pressure in the pocket to launch a bomb downfield?
“Absolutely,” Ekuale said. “He’s always doing that.”
