ESPN Analyst Apparently Not High on Patriots Drake Maye
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One thing that’s interesting coming off of last year’s 4-13 New England Patriots season is that rookie quarterback Drake Maye didn’t seem to get much exposure outside of this region.
Locally, people know how well last year’s #3 overall pick played in what was a less-than-ideal situation. However, the Patriots didn’t really get any airtime on national television, and most of the television pundits don’t tend to go back and watch individual games from start to finish.
Needless to say, Maye isn’t on their radar, and that was obvious during a segment last week with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
Smith was on first take with Jason McCourty and Chris Mad Dog Russo last week talking about New England’s addition of wideout Stefon Diggs. McCourty was high on the signing, believing that the Patriots did the right thing bringing in someone who absolutely upgrades their receiving room.
“[It’s a ] big deal. I like this signing,” said McCourty. “I like the fact that they went out and got a wide receiver that could come and help that unit. You have a quarterback that you drafted last year in Drake Maye that made something out of really nothing on the offensive side of the ball. You also drafted two wide receivers last year, one in the second, one in the fourth round. You need a guy to show them the ropes. They need the passion of a Stefon Diggs, fired up, yelling at people, [Russo]. You can understand that. I think he brings that over.”
“He was a captain in Buffalo. He was a captain in Houston. This is a guy that is used to being in that role. And now you have somebody that’s an absolute dog out there on the football field to lead them on the offensive side of the ball. So yes, Diggs is coming off a major injury where he had surgery. There’s going to be some question marks around that when he’s 31 years old. But when you look in the cupboard and it’s completely empty, you got to do something about it. And for the Patriots, they understood that. They had a visit with them. They checked out the knee and all of that. They felt good, you need to bring guys in that can help on the offensive side of the ball.”
However, Smith disagreed. Not because he believes it was a bad signing by New England, but he doesn’t feel Maye is at the level of guys Diggs has played with from a quarterback standpoint. With that in mind, he doesn’t understand why Diggs ultimately decided to sign there.
“I mean, talk about being a homer. I mean, please,” Smith told McCourty. “Here’s the deal, bro. He even wore the blue and red. Look at Stefon Diggs. You think about Stefon Diggs. When healthy, the brother’s an absolute stud. I got mad respect for him. He had six consecutive thousand-plus yard seasons prior to last year getting hurt in week eight. We understand that. I don’t blame the Patriots for making the move because you got to do what you can to upgrade. And with your new coach there, certainly he deserves to have every possible chance to win. So I applaud the Patriots for what they’re doing.”
“I’m not knocking a move. I’m just wondering about Stefon Diggs. I’m just wondering about Stefon Diggs. You go from Josh Allen to C. J. Stroud to Drake Maye. You sure about that? Are you sure? I just think it’s a legitimate question to ask. Because no matter what you are as a receiver, it don’t mean a damn thing if the quarterback can’t get you to football. I understand I’m not sitting up there throwing that shade on Drake May like the brother can’t play. That’s not what I’m implying here. I’m just saying there’s a difference between him and C. J. Stroud and Josh Allen. And for Stefon Diggs to go from those situations to this, I’m really, really wondering about that.”
It’s interesting to hear Smith dismiss Maye as essentially just another guy. Granted, both Stroud and Allen have obviously reached bigger heights, with Allen being a player who has gone toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes, while Stroud also came up just short against Mahomes this past January.
But when you look at who both of those players have had around them talent-wise, it’s certainly a different story, and Diggs is a common denominator in both examples. The 23-year-old Stroud was also just a second-year player last year, so it’s not like he’s had a ton of time to establish himself. But he certainly had a significant jump over Maye both in his rookie year and last year in terms of the people around him.
That absolutely helped as the former Ohio State QB took Houston back to the postseason and also won a playoff game for the second-straight year.
Maye certainly didn’t have the luxury of a great roster in 2024. But after adding Morgan Moses and solidifying the right tackle position, the Patriots are essentially a left tackle away from at least shoring up their offensive line and being in a better position than they were a year ago.
Adding Diggs gives them a weapon who should make the other wideouts on that roster better, and Diggs has already shown some love in trying to endear himself to guys in that locker room.
As a result, the signs are there that the Patriots could make some noise this season.
Diggs even said during his press conference last week that he sees some of Allen in Maye, which has him excited to get started.
“I’m excited. I really look forward to it,” said Diggs. “It’s crazy because when you ask around, he has a lot of similarities with people say through the grapevine, he acts a lot like Josh [Allen]. That was my guy, so I look forward to meeting and connecting with him.”
For now, Smith still doesn’t feel Maye is the type of quarterback who will be what Diggs needs, nor is Diggs potentially ready to handle the load offensively that the Patriots are looking for in 2025.
” I’m asking you a simple question. Do you think somebody coming off of ACL injury is ready to be the number one option? I don’t know about that,” Smith told McCourty. “I think that’s a tall ask for somebody in this position, Particularly when you don’t have the personnel around him to enable him to flourish because he could take advantage of some situations. He’s not going to be in a position to take advantage of situations because he’s going to be the focal point because everybody knows you don’t necessarily have somebody better than him yet if you’re Vrabel and the crew.
“As a result, that’s going to put even more of an onus on his shoulders. I’m not sure, fresh off an ACL injury, that that’s something he’s prepared to handle. Then you got to look at the quarterback because, again, it ain’t C. J. Stroud or Josh Allen throwing him to football.”
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Sports analysts today have to be bold and brash and take a contrarian drama-laden stance on things. Smith shouts to be heard. If you stay in your lane and march with the million other sheep, you may not have a sports analyst job for long. Smith is a master. But in this case, he’s debatedly right. Maye has clearly shown his skills on tape. But the situation in New England was and is still bad. And Diggs is shaky to be playing week1 and it’s doubtful he’s the guy he used to be by halloween. Maybe end of year he’s… Read more »