The lone joint practice session of Patriots preseason came and went earlier today, and despite several highlight reel throws out of third overall pick Drake Maye in 1v1 drills to the likes of Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, there wasn't a ton you could take away from his day in totality. Once again, not working with the top offensive unit, UNC's finest did have some solid moments when it came time to get 22 guys on the fields behind Gillette Stadium, but much like last Thursday night, poor secondary offensive line play did him no favors.
Just on a hurry-up drive in 11 on 11s, Maye ended up getting sacked three times in four plays behind the No. 2 offensive line, which marked the beginning of when things derailed, having been marked down at a perfect 9-9 passing beforehand. One Taylor Kyles lamented that Maye was either facing immediate pressure or simply had no one to get the ball to against an outmatched front five for New England. Obviously, not much of a stranger to poor offensive line play if you're familiar with his work for the Tar Heels; Maye did the right thing when it was time to talk to the media post-practice, crediting the opposition and admitting it's a bit of a learning curve getting used to the uptick in speed.
“You gotta be quick. You gotta be fast and be smart at the same time… Just trying to get used to it, figure it out, and trust the guys up front.”
The most important thing to take away from Tuesday is this: The Patriots must give Drake Maye run with the top offense moving forward before the regular season. Based on the two weeks of camp and all off one preseason game drive we've seen, he's clearly not getting good enough protection up front. How can you properly evaluate his progress this summer before Jacoby Brissett takes things over when every dropback results in, at best, immediate pressure? This isn't to say the Patriots' top OL unit is what they had in 2018, but if they plan to redshirt Maye in 2024 (which I've been on board with more or less since before he was drafted), you have to give him multiple drives with the ones now on Thursday, as that's his best chance in a high leverage situation to get snaps in, while not coming too much at the expense of Brissett, who had a rough day himself.
I think, especially after today's bombshell announcement of a torn meniscus for Vikings first-rounder J.J. McCarthy, the Patriots' brain trust not wanting to put Maye in a bad spot with this offensive line is understandable, but it's still football. He's going to take hits eventually, and there's nothing that'll change that. Additionally, now that we have Jerod Mayo on record saying Maye will get more reps this week as of this morning, it'd be nice to see the Patriots make the most of them come Thursday night.
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