Bill Belichick offers up his critique on Drake Maye's play during the preseason
FOXBORO -- Bill Belichick didn't get the chance to draft or pass on Drake Maye with the Patriots. But in his new role as an analysist, the former Patriots head coach can break down the rookie's game for all to hear.
Maye will start his NFL career on the sideline after the Patriots drafted him third overall out of North Carolina in April. He played fairly well during the preseason, but veteran Jacoby Brissett was named the team's starter ahead of the 2024 season.
Bill Belichick says Drake Maye's "inexperience" showed during preseason
In a clip previewing his new show Coach on Underdog Fantasy, Belichick said that Maye has the physical tools to play quarterback, but the 22-year-old needs a lot of work elsewhere before he is ready to see action in the NFL.
"You like his size and you like his arm. I think his inexperience really showed up in the preseason, as it did a little bit at North Carolina," Belichick said on the clip, which was posted on X on Saturday. "And I think that he needs a lot of seasoning in terms of reading coverages, overall throwing mechanics, and consistency.
"Is he a big fast athlete? Yeah, but I think it's going to take more than that to be ready to play quarterback in the National Football League," added Belichick.
Maye was the starter at UNC for just two seasons, and saw action in 30 games over his three years at Chapel Hill.
While New England fans would love to see Maye lead the team right out of the gate, former Patriots players and coaches are preaching patience. Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady believes that it's best for a young quarterback to spend time learning under a veteran, as he did for a year behind Drew Bledsoe.
Julian Edelman, Josh McDaniels weigh in on Drake Maye
Former Pats receiver Julian Edelman and former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels also believes that Maye has a lot to work on during his rookie season. During McDaniels' appearance on Edelman's "Game with Names" podcast, Edelman brought up Maye's footwork as something the quarterback needs to work on during his rookie season.
McDaniels said that Maye needs to get a lot more experience playing under center -- he lined up in mostly shotgun in college with the Tar Heels -- before he takes the field in the NFL. When he did play under center in the preseason finale against the Washington Commanders, Maye had a few issues with snaps from backup center Nick Leverett.
"I don't think he played from under center much and you could tell. When there's exchange issues, usually that's just time on task, and I doubt he did do that much in college from what I gather," said McDaniels. "I think those are the kind of things it'll take some time for him to just acclimate because you can't be thinking about how to get the ball from the center when you're dealing with defenses, where's the blitz coming from, and what's my read, and what coverage are they playing. You can't be thinking about how to get the ball."
In the eyes of many former Patriots, Maye has a long way to go before he sees the field for the Patriots. New England seems to agree with that assessment, though issues along the offensive line and a lack of established talent in the receiving corps also played into the team's trepidation to start the rookie this season.
