Thursday Patriots Notebook 5/9: News and Notes
The 2024 New England Patriots rookies will report to Gillette Stadium this morning.
Follow us
Follow Us
🕑 Read Time: 6 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots News
HOME > Patriots Blog > Patriots News
Some Patriots news and notes on this Thursday:
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye and the rest of his incoming draft class will start their respective NFL careers this weekend, with the group set to report to Gillette Stadium on Thursday morning.
Much of the talk over the next few days will likely center around the offense, with 7 of the 8 2024 Patriots Draft Picks set to get to work, having been a draft class dominated by offensive players.
Joining Maye among this year’s draft class will be Ja’Lynn Polk (WR – Round 2), Caedan Wallace (OT – Round 3), Layden Robinson (OL – Round 4), Javon Baker (WR – Round 4), Joe Milton (QB – Round 6) and Jaheim Bell (TE – Round 7) each set to begin the process of getting acclimated in Alex Van Pelt’s offense.
What’s going to be interesting is where all these pieces fit. Maye said previously that he has some familiarity with both Polk and Baker, and this weekend will be their first opportunity to establish some chemistry as they each start getting comfortable in New England’s system.
The one key positive is that they all will essentially have the next four years to grow together, with Wallace and Robinson also potentially being factors in up front, along with Bell also factoring in at tight end.
We’ve certainly never seen this many offensive picks taken in a single draft class over the last 20+ seasons, which definitely makes this an incredibly unique situation.
Maye’s progression over these next few weeks, and into the mandatory sessions that will follow with the veterans, is going to be key. While the thought process will see Jacoby Brissett start the season, head coach Jerod Mayo certainly hasn’t ruled anything out.
He said last week on WEEI that things will be competitive from both now and into training camp, and he’ll simply allow things to play out before he makes a decision on who will be out there when the season begins this September.
“What I will say is he’s going to compete,” said Mayo of Maye. “We have a solid quarterback room, in our opinion, and they’re going to compete, and the best player will play.”
That quarterback room was whittled down slightly after the club waived CFL standout Nathan Rourke earlier this week. Rourke has since been claimed by the Giants, leaving the Patriots with Brissett, Maye, Bailey Zappe, and Milton as the four remaining QBs on their roster.
Mayo added that there are a variety of factors when it comes to someone like Maye being able to prove he can handle everything that comes with being an NFL quarterback. Mayo emphasized leadership, not just with the offense but with the rest of the team.
“We’ll see when he comes in,” said Mayo. “Right now, we don’t really know much about him as far as just playing at this level. But once again, look, they’re going to compete. Jacoby has played a lot of football in this league. Zappe’s played football in this league, and Drake hasn’t. So he has to come in and not only show us that he’s capable of performing on the field but also really taking a leadership role with the young guys and hopefully the rest of the team going forward.”
The 2021 preseason ultimately saw one of the most memorable quarterback competitions in recent memory as Mac Jones beat out Cam Newton to start the year. Whether or not Maye can seize the role that quickly remains to be seen, but the process toward that will now get underway and we’ll see if Maye is up for the challenge.
There are certainly some interesting storylines heading into this weekend. Here are some early thoughts:
1) How Quickly will Maye pick up the offense? – That’s the biggest question. Brissett has some familiarity having played in Cleveland, but at the end of the day, getting the verbiage down and how well he executes will ultimately decide whether or not Maye can challenge to be out there early in 2024.
2) Can Polk and Baker establish themselves early? – Both of these guys were interesting selections, with Baker certainly being the more vocal of the two. Polk is more known as a player who just quietly gets it done and was simply a solid contributor for Washington. The hope is that both of these guys can settle in early be factors this season.
3) Competition at Kicker? – The Patriots have a couple of rookies incoming to challenge Chad Ryland, as well as recently signed veteran kicker Joey Slye. Both Canada standout Vince Blanchard and North Texas’ Noah Rauschenberg will be among the rookie names competing this weekend, with the hope of seeing an improvement there after a less-than-stellar first year by Ryland in 2023.
4) Who will emerge as an early surprise? – This is probably the most interesting question. With 10 players coming in as part of the 2024 Patriots undrafted free agents, seeing who might fight their way onto the roster is always one of the fun parts of every preseason. Guys who have gotten a little buzz have been LSU safety Dell Pettus, along with UTEP offensive tackle Zuri Henry, so it should be fun to see who flashes over the coming weeks.
5) Can Milton settle in? – Given the size and strength that Milton possesses, there are a fair amount of fans curious to see how he might fit in. Accuracy and a lot of the nuanced throws have been areas where he’s struggled, and it’s going to be interesting to see if the coaching staff can fine-tune a lot of those flaws and potentially help him be successful at the NFL level. He’ll battle Zappe for the final QB spot, but how he performs in the months ahead may ultimately decide if he’s also ends up in the running to possibly back up Maye in 2025.
Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald put together a good piece this morning looking at Cleveland’s offense, with the goal of trying to get a sense for how Van Pelt’s system might look in the months ahead with his new football team.
The result was essentially an offense that became known for pushing the ball down the field, using play-action and bootlegs to create opportunities for the receivers to make plays and come up with some long completions for the offense.
The additions of both Polk and Baker should certainly provide that. Based on the film of how both contributed in college, it was easy to imagine the two making similar plays in their new offense. Add in a big arm like Maye’s, and the opportunities should certainly be there.
Moving around and making plays down the field have certainly been Maye’s strengths, with his ability to create under pressure and deal with things breaking down being key attributes Eliot Wolf has discussed multiple times when referring to what they liked about him.
Callahan pointed out that in 2023, Maye posted a 121.1 passer rating on deep throws, per Pro Football Focus, and ranked third in all of college football by PFF’s deep passing grade.
Stretching the field and putting pressure on opponents has absolutely been something that’s been lacking, which is what’s hopefully going to be the difference this season for an offense that finished tied for worst in the league in total points scored with Carolina (236) in 2023.
Odds and Ends: Former Patriots running back Shane Vereen is reportedly joining the ranks of former players coming back into the league to coach, with Vereen reportedly joining the Houston Texans. According to Aaron Wilson, Vereen is joining the club as a personnel assistant. The former Patriot had some notable moments, including hauling in 11 catches in Super Bowl 49 during the club’s win over the Seahawks. Vereen was a key part of what turned out to be New England’s game-winning drive, coming away with three receptions, along with a 7-yard run from Seattle’s 12-yard line on a first down play which ultimately set up Brady’s 3-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Julian Edelman. That drive put them back on top, giving them a 28-24 edge with just over 2-minutes remaining. As we know, Malcolm Butler sealed the win with his game-ending interception on Seattle’s ensuing series. … Ja’Lynn Polk’s trainer, Delfonte Diamond is working him hard. He posted video of a recent workout ahead of rookie minicamp, with Polk appearing a little gassed. Still, Diamond kept pushing him. “Let’s go Polk, I don’t care about you being tired,” said Diamond. “Your god**** life gonna change in god**** 8 hours. Hey, two things you have to be when you report to camp, whatever team gets you… For one, conditioned. Gotta be in shape… two, the most important thing – polished. Everything has to be polished. Now let’s run it! Let’s get money.” Good stuff. … Demario Douglas talked about his change to the #3 this week. “The three is big for me,” said Douglas. “Because I was raised by three strong ladies – My Mom, my grandma, [and] my great grandma.” Yet another reason to root for him in 2024. … Drake Maye was itching to get started earlier this week. “I’m pumped,” said Maye during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub via Mike Reiss. “We get in on Thursday, so I’m super excited to get with the guys, get going with the rookie minicamp for a few days.”
From our archive - this week all-time:
April 4 - April 19 (Through 26yrs)
Join 2,000+ fans getting exclusive stats, analysis, and insights delivered straight to their inbox every week. Never miss a play.