DRAFT 2024 NEP 3RD Overall Pick - DRAKE MAYE

[KCSVEN]

Behind this left side of our OL? That would be career suicide.

Based on what? Already posted the data playing a top drafted QB on a crappy team is beneficial to the QB development and will not set them back but actually helps them develop. This isn't even a crappy team because of the defense.
I'm not throwing away a season to sit the clearly best QB on the team for no reason.
This is the NFL, why people are OK with throwing away a season with a playoff caliber defense when you have a potential special QB available is mind blowing.
Maye will be fine starting from day 1, the idea he'd be harmed by playing is not based on any actual data.

The O Line ranked 20th and the Bears 19th on PFF for the year, Caleb Williams already named the starter there.

They have plenty of solid options for LG and if Okorafor or Wallace can't handle left tackle you let the RB and TE chip and help out, they'll be fine enough. The difference Maye will make over the alternative makes it a no brainer. The DE can't just run past the LT, Maye will dip inside and take off for 10+ yards, they can't tee off like they could for Zappe and Jones. Maye will make the Line better.

Play to win the games!

 

[archstanton543]

This is the NFL, why people are OK with throwing away a season with a playoff caliber defense when you have a potential special QB available is mind blowing.

Because they don't have a playoff caliber defense.

Hell, we don't know if they have a playoff caliber coaching staff. There's too many unknowns on this team right now to go all-in on a playoff run. Patience is the name of the game.

 

[patfanken]

Because they don't have a playoff caliber defense.

Hell, we don't know if they have a playoff caliber coaching staff. There's too many unknowns on this team right now to go all-in on a playoff run. Patience is the name of the game.

WHAT are you talking about!!!!!!!?????

Last season they had a top 10 defense WITHOUT having their 2 best players (Gonzo & Judon) for most of the season.

 

[Love The Drake]

WHAT are you talking about!!!!!!!?????

Last season they had a top 10 defense WITHOUT having their 2 best players (Gonzo & Judon) for most of the season.

I think we need to expect that not having Bill to gameplan could make this defense look very different.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

Last years meltdown on offense can be broken into stages.
1. OL was decimated with injuries dooming the offense to failure for the first few games
2. Mac unraveled mentally during stage 1 and ceased to be a functional QB
3. The rest of the offense gave up hope after repeated sabotage by the QB
4. Decent effort with an equally ineffective Zappe to close the year

None of these factors should carry over into 2024. There is no reason that Maye should stay on the bench if he wins the competition with Brissett. The other wildcard is the new coaching staff that will likely have its own set of growing pains.

 

[KCSVEN]

Because they don't have a playoff caliber defense.

Hell, we don't know if they have a playoff caliber coaching staff. There's too many unknowns on this team right now to go all-in on a playoff run. Patience is the name of the game.

By every ranking imaginable they had a playoff level defense without Gonzalez and Judon. What analysis shows they are not a top 14 ranked defense?

Texans should have sat Stroud all year? rookie coach, rookie QB, bad O line....

Let's wait 8 games to see the staff doesn't stink, the defense is good and then say, ooh crap if we had started Mayed we'd be in the playoff hunt, oops?

Half of NFL team rosters change every year, you should go into each year expecting to win the Super Bowl and then adjust, not the other way around. You don't throw a season away before it starts.

Play for the playoffs until it's clear you aren't good enough, then work towards next year, starting with the attitude that we are not good enough is a disservice to the hours and pain the players put themselves thru.

The NFL is a parity league outside the top 4 teams, every year is different, let's not give up a season until we see evidence we need to.

 

[KCSVEN]

Patriots took the best QB in the 2024 NFL Draft in Drake Maye

As the dust has settled from the 2024 NFL Draft, we can take a step back and look at the bigger picture. One fit that is becoming increasingly favorable is the

www.si.com

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

If Maye cleans up his footwork I believe that'll lead to an improvement in several key areas. And not just improve the obvious there. General accuracy/more velocity, pocket management, overall mechanics that marry together. Just make life a lot easier on himself snap to snap in terms of functionality among the best defensive players in the world.

I know it's been downplayed a bit by some but it's easily his biggest concern/issue imo in terms of holding him back from possibly reaching elite status. I've been harping on it for months now. I'm glad Maye is facing it head on if youve been following him. Blaming it on his line for example doesn't make sense if you actually watched his film. I could make more clips but the ND game (NC ST, Clemson are other good examples) I highlighted in the draft thread was a good example of what you would see in general. Plenty of highs but too many self-inflicted lows. Too many steps, too bouncey, not throwing from his feet up (should be rooted in the ground a little more). A disjointed upper & lower body. Hips/feet throwing where a target is, as opposed to where he'll be. Different topic but he drifts into pressure too often. Even if he's only dealing with little pressure he'll find himself near that threat too much. Now this isn't bc he line was bad. I mean footwork doesnt automatically improve if somehow he had a "good" line. Thats a QB issue not a line issue. His line wasn't bad all the time and tbh after watching film his wrs hurt him just as much in that area. Forget drops or w/e they ran some awful routes and made things harder than it should have been getting off the line.

You learn to isolate prospects and players to look at intricacies like this. It's ok to admit Maye has poor footwork and flaws (post-snap processing). You look for, connect the dots with what someone can do as opposed to what they cant. And Mayes pros far outweigh the cons. Especially if you're sitting in a NEP office or are a fan.

I think the similarities with him and Allen are actually pretty cool. I've outlined them before but the parallels are real.

A)Maye was committed to Bama but ultimately choose UNC. Allen played at Wyoming but UNC isnt exactly a powerhouse and doesnt have the best competition in college. Neither played at a big name program for football and didn't face the best comp.
B)Aggressiveness. Both are very aggressive. Running the ball, in the pocket - they have no problem making a play or trying to. And they'll run over you if they can. Both are big strong athletic and have a lot of heart.
C)Both had poor footwork coming out. Allen would stop his too often. Wasn't the mover or have maneuverability he has in the pocket today. He feet stay moving for the most part. Kind of the opposite of Maye in terms of specifics but same issue.
D)Both considered to have a lot of "boom or bust."
E)Both think they can throw through a brick wall and fit passes in certain tight windows they probably shouldn't. The aggressiveness is great you just need to funnel it.
F)Allen moreso than Maye but both had/have some accuracy issues. Allen was just bad it's more specific points with Maye.

I could add a few more but it's a fairly obvious comp imo and obviously Allen worked out many of these kinks. Even accuracy which many thought wasn't fixable. So you definitely can improve in almost any area even though more go down swinging than end up like Allen.

I'm beyond excited we got him. Again i really believe Bill trades this pick. So just taking the gamble is what i like. I'm pumped we immediately gave him two targets that are perfect for him. Polk and Baker have plus catch radius, hands, toughness and ability to win along the sidelines as well as the mof.

I think Baker is a perfect flanker in a AVP/wco offense but can handle certain X duties. Like Polk very strong hands, can catch through contact/take a hit. Both guys are great running back shoulder/comeback. Baker is a very savvy rr that at times gives off Stevie Johnson vibes at the top of his route imo. Very crafty, just get it done type of mentality.

Polk was often compared to Meyers but I thought his teammate McMillan was more a Meyers comp. Polk is a flanker and slot with a lot better yac. Where Meyers was mostly a power slot. Excellent tracker, he was one of the better guys that i watched in that area. This is something i dont see mentioned a lot. Polk was superb here. Very reliable hands. Plus blocker.

Both of these guys are the types you'd want for a QB like Maye. Honestly I think both will succeed. I think Baker has a higher ceiling if he hits but Polk has a very reliable, consistent profile that should always get/keep him on the field. We still need a wr1 or worse very good wr2 if both guys hit but think we made good progress.

LT has disaster potential. Until we get our OL straighten out I wouldn't play Maye. Wallace is a older prospect (muscle memory!) who never played LT before. Over-setter with average foot speed. Doesn't use independent hands. I don't see a LT profile and our depth is what it is, bad. The line will be far and away the most important position group. I definitely could've done without the OL picks but oveealloverall a very solid draft.

Love what I'm hearing and seeing from Maye so far. Wish I saw him at the game last night on the big screen but plenty of time for that stuff.

 

[patfanken]

Lots of good info in your post, especially about your WR takes. BUT I have to discount your Maye comments a bit . One earlier poster, noted a well respected draft guru who's comments on Mahomes ' weaknesses sounded Remarkably like you had for Maye.

The fact is that EVERY QB coming out college there days are ALL going to have similar flaws. They rarely take many snaps under C. It will take some time to adjust to the speed of the game. It take them even longer to adjust to the complex NFL defense as well as own teammates. They will always have footwork issues (Brady worked as hard on his footwork in his 20th year as he did in his first.

We are all good enough fans that we all know that it is a crap shoot when you draft a QB REGARDLESS of when he was drafted. Maye is no different. He deserved to be the 3rd QB in that draft. AND too good a prospect for the Pat's to pass up.

But that is all he is at this time... a prospect. At this point no one cares when you were drafted just how you perform on the field and can you continually show improvement over time.

I was THRILLED with the pick and I hope it works out. But too much energy is being wasted on nitpicking on COLLEGE flaws that everybody has at that position

 

[mgteich]

I would have chosen Travis over Milton if he had lasted into the 6th. Good pick by the Jets I'm sorry to say. Much better than what Atlanta did to set up the QB position long term

I strongly agree.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

I hope to start hearing how good he is at getting the ball to the open receiver at some point soon. There's only so far a strong arm can take you without that key component.

I want the kid to succeed, obviously. That's why I want to hear the things I associate with good QB play.

 

[Uptown]

Stevie Johnson is one of the 2-3 receivers who actually gave Revis issues in some of those matchups. Really decent player during his tenure in Buffalo; very savvy player. Love the comp..

 

[Uptown]

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Lots of good info in your post, especially about your WR takes. BUT I have to discount your Maye comments a bit . One earlier poster, noted a well respected draft guru who's comments on Mahomes ' weaknesses sounded Remarkably like you had for Maye.

I didn't see the post on Mahomes but he didn't have "bad" footwork at all imo. Very unconventional, at times a little sloppy but it wasn't bad. I don't think Maye's is really bad but it's worse than Mahomes imo. 15 was unorthodox and did a lot of things you didn't see. Maye has a lot of technique issues (heel clicking/crossing his feet, not planted firmly enough when he releases, feet/hips pointed where someone is not where they'll be). So that's a difference imo.

100% correctable to fix. I'm not saying he won't be this or that in terms of the type of player he is. He was my QB2 and I'm so pumped we have him but there's a big difference in terms of his and Mahomes footwork coming out.

If you listen to Maye himself he'll be the first to say it's been and will be a priority.

...




Like I said I haven't been around much so I don't know if anyone has brought this up but Maye wasn't asked to have great footwork in that Air Raid offense. More balanced in 23 but it didn't change his approach. He was obviously asked to go through his reads but it wasn't a timing or one that required him to use his feet like that. It's just when you isolated instances of him with good protection or a pocket that requires a little management. Where he had some real issues.



Also Maye took some snaps uc in college and like most QBs it's a staple of their routines year round tbh. So many colleges have their guys do it in practice nowadays.

The fact is that EVERY QB coming out college there days are ALL going to have similar flaws. They rarely take many snaps under C. It will take some time to adjust to the speed of the game. It take them even longer to adjust to the complex NFL defense as well as own teammates. They will always have footwork issues (Brady worked as hard on his footwork in his 20th year as he did in his first.

I was THRILLED with the pick and I hope it works out. But too much energy is being wasted on nitpicking on COLLEGE flaws that everybody has at that position

I really haven't seen "nitpicking" going on tbh Ken but i havent been around much. I think 99% of the fan base is absolutely estatic that we potentially have a guy capable of beating the best QBS in the league.

First off, sure they all have to work on everything but not all suffer from the same things or have similar flaws. If you have great footwork you're always working on it but it's not smart to spend the an equal amount of time of things like that. Believe it or not in the offseason the best players focus on 1 or 2 things to improve on. Sprinkle w/e else they can in but devote most of their time to 1 or 2 things to get as good as possible there and move on the next year.

Back to why it relevant. It's important to track this stuff for so many reasons. Baseline, you want to track improvements or setbacks. Understand where you have to supplement or use resources. Find out the best way to utilize that player to highlight strengths and cover weaknesses. I could go on but that's an easy one. So not so much nitpicking but really understanding who he is as a player. I've heard it was his OL fault and I think it's important to know what we're talking too. It's not his line when you can isolate clean pockets, manageable pockets etc and see bad habits and tendencies.

I don't think Maye has a ton of concerns tbh but a few real ones.

Clean up the footwork, again this will go a long way in so many areas.
I've used the word aggressive so many times describing him. Funnel that aggressiveness and learn what you can get away with next level. Trial and error type stuff but he occasionally thinks he can throw through a wall. Some tight window passes, trying to muscle passes got him in trouble or the defender couldn't capitalize.
Second level disguise like backers pretending to mugg then drop. DBs replacing LB last minute. Very good at working the mof but this caught my eye.
Like Mac slot pressure and backside will give him problems.

Only guy i would have taken at 3. I think there's a real chance he's the best QB in this class and legit top 10 QB in 3 years. It's important to know what he has to do to get there though. Maye is a project but with a lot of NFL ready qualities and natural gifts like Allen and Love. We have a QB that resembles the times and has an incredible amount of potential. I'm as happy as anyone that Maye is here. I can't wait for fans to know what it's like to have a QB to beat you with his legs on 3/12 when the defense has a blanket on your targets.

 

[patfanken]

I didn't see the post on Mahomes but he didn't have "bad" footwork at all imo. Very unconventional, at times a little sloppy but it wasn't bad. I don't think Maye's is really bad but it's worse than Mahomes imo. 15 was unorthodox and did a lot of things you didn't see. Maye has a lot of technique issues (heel clicking/crossing his feet, not planted firmly enough when he releases, feet/hips pointed where someone is not where they'll be). So that's a difference imo.

100% correctable to fix. I'm not saying he won't be this or that in terms of the type of player he is. He was my QB2 and I'm so pumped we have him but there's a big difference in terms of his and Mahomes footwork coming out.

If you listen to Maye himself he'll be the first to say it's been and will be a priority.

...




Like I said I haven't been around much so I don't know if anyone has brought this up but Maye wasn't asked to have great footwork in that Air Raid offense. More balanced in 23 but it didn't change his approach. He was obviously asked to go through his reads but it wasn't a timing or one that required him to use his feet like that. It's just when you isolated instances of him with good protection or a pocket that requires a little management. Where he had some real issues.



Also Maye took some snaps uc in college and like most QBs it's a staple of their routines year round tbh. So many colleges have their guys do it in practice nowadays.

I really haven't seen "nitpicking" going on tbh Ken but i havent been around much. I think 99% of the fan base is absolutely estatic that we potentially have a guy capable of beating the best QBS in the league.

First off, sure they all have to work on everything but not all suffer from the same things or have similar flaws. If you have great footwork you're always working on it but it's not smart to spend the an equal amount of time of things like that. Believe it or not in the offseason the best players focus on 1 or 2 things to improve on. Sprinkle w/e else they can in but devote most of their time to 1 or 2 things to get as good as possible there and move on the next year.

Back to why it relevant. It's important to track this stuff for so many reasons. Baseline, you want to track improvements or setbacks. Understand where you have to supplement or use resources. Find out the best way to utilize that player to highlight strengths and cover weaknesses. I could go on but that's an easy one. So not so much nitpicking but really understanding who he is as a player. I've heard it was his OL fault and I think it's important to know what we're talking too. It's not his line when you can isolate clean pockets, manageable pockets etc and see bad habits and tendencies.

I don't think Maye has a ton of concerns tbh but a few real ones.

Clean up the footwork, again this will go a long way in so many areas.
I've used the word aggressive so many times describing him. Funnel that aggressiveness and learn what you can get away with next level. Trial and error type stuff but he occasionally thinks he can throw through a wall. Some tight window passes, trying to muscle passes got him in trouble or the defender couldn't capitalize.
Second level disguise like backers pretending to mugg then drop. DBs replacing LB last minute. Very good at working the mof but this caught my eye.
Like Mac slot pressure and backside will give him problems.

Only guy i would have taken at 3. I think there's a real chance he's the best QB in this class and legit top 10 QB in 3 years. It's important to know what he has to do to get there though. Maye is a project but with a lot of NFL ready qualities and natural gifts like Allen and Love. We have a QB that resembles the times and has an incredible amount of potential. I'm as happy as anyone that Maye is here. I can't wait for fans to know what it's like to have a QB to beat you with his legs on 3/12 when the defense has a blanket on your targets.

Thanks for the elaboration. I.think we are saying the same thing just coming at it from different directions.

Bottom line, anything "mechanical" can be fixed by reps, coaching and determination. BUT what makes a athletically gifted QB into a top 5 QB in the NFL is what's between his ears

How fast he can process info after the snap. How fast he can learn the system. And most importantly, how well he responds to adversity and whether he has the determination and if he's consistently cool under pressure. Does he have the drive to consistently improve his game year to year even AFTER he gains an early level of perceived success .

Brady checked all those boxes, but it took YEARS before even he made the transition from being a. game manager into a top 5 starting QB.... and THEN the GOAT.

My worry for Maye is how he will respond to the media and fans chronic need for INSTANT gratification. On field expectations that are wildly unrealistic can slow down or even ruin a promising career.

 

[archstanton543]

More footwork talk than a Rex Ryan phone sex hotline.

 

[State]

LT has disaster potential.

You think?

Play Maye and get to see him in the sunsets.