NFL Analyst Says Patriots Should Be ‘Over The Moon’ About Drake Maye
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky was critical of New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye coming out of the draft.
Orlovsky felt the Patriots picked an incredibly raw quarterback with potential, but who needed to overhaul his footwork and spend a substantial amount of time on the sideline watching and learning.
But Orlovsky is singing a different tune now just five games into Maye’s professional career.
In fact, Orlovsky believes the “Patriots have to be over the moon” with what they have received from the rookie signal-caller. That was part of the praise Orlovsky bestowed upon Maye while breaking down game film of the gunslinger from New England’s win over the Chicago Bears on the X platform.
“You got to be giddy if you’re New England. Absolutely giddy with what you see from Drake Maye, man,” Orlovsky said. “I’ve talked about his feet and that was the concern coming out school. The flaw. He has worked at it. He has addressed it. Him, his coaching staff, credit them. I did not think he was going to jump off tape this early on.”
Orlovsky said the two things that stood out to him about Maye’s development is his ability to throw guys open and be a fast processer of opposing defenses.
Orlovsky identified two of Maye’s throws against the Bears that illustrated his point. The first being Maye’s 28-yard dart to tight end Austin Hooper in the first quarter in which Maye placed the ball perfectly. The other throw came right before the end of the first half when he hit wide receiver Kayshon Boutte deep over the middle for 23 yards to set up a last-second field goal.
The Patriots have to be feel good about what they have seen from Maye, and perhaps even more so now that he turned Orlovsky into a believer already.