The jury is very much still out on Drake Maye, who has made just 15 starts at the NFL level. But those 15 starts are a large enough sample size to start assessing the New England Patriots quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses.
A good person to ask about those strengths and weaknesses? Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who has devoted his post-playing career to evaluating signal-callers through his QB Confidential media platform.
Warner has studied Maye’s game since the QB’s days at North Carolina and joined Patriots Insider Phil Perry on the Next Pats Podcast last fall to share his early impressions of Maye in New England. On Friday, Warner came back on Next Pats to break down what he’s seen from Maye since then. And despite the 23-year-old’s up-and-down start to the 2025 campaign — 785 passing yards and six total touchdowns, but also two interceptions and two fumbles — Warner believes Maye possesses two positive traits that should benefit him going forward.
“I actually think he’s done a really nice job of seeing and deciphering things early in the down,” Warner said. “Coming into last year — I thought (in) his last year at North Carolina, he struggled a little bit with that. He was holding the ball a lot, whether he was struggling with that or just the system and situation down there.
“That was one thing that I was watching for when he started playing (in New England) is like, ‘OK, is he going to hold the ball too long? And is the processing going to be a little bit slow?’ I was more than impressed last year … with his ability to see things and get the ball out on time.”
Maye still has room for improvement in that regard — he looked sped up and jumpy at times during the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders — but he has made significant progress with his processing ability and showcased more poise the following week while dissecting the Miami Dolphins’ defense.
The second strength that Warner observed in Maye is a bit more subtle.
“I love the way he throws the ball,” Warner said. “He’s such a big, strong guy, but … there’s such an art form to being able to throw a firm but soft ball: something that isn’t going to knock somebody over, something that doesn’t have to be perfect or you miss, (something) that gives the ability to your wide receiver to make adjustments and attack the football.
“I think Drake throws a really, really catchable, soft ball as well.”
Maye’s “soft” touch has helped him complete 72.6 percent of his passes through three games, which ranks second in the NFL (behind only Jared Goff) among QBs who have played in more than one game. That’s an impressive stat considering Maye is working with one of the league’s least talented skill position groups.
Also in this episode:
- How can Josh McDaniels set Drake Maye up for success?
- How do the Patriots make “big plays” on offense?
- Who’s Next?!: College players to keep an eye on this weekend
- Next Pats Mailbag
