Drake Maye played only seven snaps in his season debut for the New England Patriots.
However, for a well-known QB expert, that was still reason enough to be impressed.
On Friday, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky published an analysis of Mayes’ brief outing against the Carolina Panthers, highlighting the “little things” he liked about the Patriots’ quarterback. You can check out the analysis here.
“These are little things, and people may not think they’re a big deal to me. A lot of the little things I saw on Drake Maye, I liked,” Orlovsky said.
Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback and current analyst, said he wants to see three things from Maye:
1) What did he look like when he played center as opposed to the shotgun position (where he spent most of his time in college)?
2) Has he refined his mechanics when dropping back to overtake?
3) Did he understand what he saw from the defense?
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Orlovsky’s takeaways were positive. The analyst said Maye looked good taking the snap from under center and handled the handoffs well.
Maye’s technique when dropping back to overtake also looked cleaner, and Orlovsky noted that the rookie had given up his habit of keeping his feet too close together.
Finally, Orlovsky looked at Mayes’ final snap of the game, a pass on 3rd-and-11 that ended with Rooking handing the ball off to a running back.
After the game, Maye said he regretted not trying to push the ball forward, but Orlovsky said Maye made the right decision given the defense’s coverage.
“This is 100% the right decision,” Orlovsky said. “I love the timely way he does it. … There’s no need to try to do more. This is the right decision.”
There were a few minor issues. Orlovsky said he could quibble with the way Maye handled the ball on a play-action fake and lined up a little too tall at one point. But overall, the ESPN analyst was impressed.
Maye made a limited appearance in the Patriots’ preseason win over the Panthers on Thursday night. He was taken out of the game after one series and Bailey Zappe took over.
But there’s good news for those who want to see Maye in action more often. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Friday he expects the No. 3 pick to get more playing time next week against the Philadelphia Eagles.
