Texans Star Praises ‘Unbelievable’ Drake Maye Before Playing Patriots

With most of the attention going to how Drake Maye and the New England Patriots will handle a prolific Houston Texans defense, a leader of that unit knows they also face a tough task of stopping an MVP-caliber quarterback.

All-Pro pass rusher Will Anderson sung Maye’s praises earlier this week before Houston’s AFC Divisional Round clash at New England, via KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.

“Unbelievable player,” Anderson said of Maye. “Have a ton of respect for him. Can’t wait to go against him.”

The Texans traded up to draft Anderson with the No. 3 pick one year before the Patriots selected Maye in the same spot. Both first-round choices have quickly turned into franchise cornerstones.

Anderson claimed he predicted Maye was headed for stardom before he entered the NFL.

“I knew coming out of college, man, he’s gonna be a top guy in this league,” Anderson said. “Powerful arm, can run, can make throws, can use his legs. Do a really good job of scanning the field, making really big throws.”

Maye rose to lofty heights in his second season, completing an NFL-high 72.0 percent of his passes for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns. The North Carolina product didn’t enjoy the same success as a rookie, as Anderson sacked him three times in a 41-21 Texans victory in Week 6.

Anderson believes Maye has done a much better job of evading pressure in his sophomore season. An encore of their 2024 encounter won’t be easy when the Patriots play the Texans on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

“You can see that progression, that he’s taking the next step, just scanning the whole field, looking for his receivers,” Anderson added. “But when it’s not there, I think he does a really good job of using his legs. So I would just say, he’s not taking as many hits as he was before.”