“It has been superior,” Maye mentioned about his conferences with the Patriots. “Attempt to get to know them. Making an attempt to get to know what they’re about, and their championship mindset to get again to the glory days.” Maye additionally talked about that he had soccer discussions with new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, particularly mentioning a possibility to “be taught their stuff [playbook].”
Though it is inconceivable to know what Van Pelt has in thoughts precisely, the considering right here is that AVP will mimic lots of the similar issues he did in Cleveland with Kevin Stefanski over the past 4 years. If true, the Browns ran a vertical-based passing system with heavy play-action off bootlegs. After showcasing his capability to execute throws from transferring pockets, it is simple to see how Maye’s mobility and arm expertise would match the scheme.
Tar Heels OC Chip Lindsey Gives Perception Into Drake Maye
One other insightful dialog that befell earlier than Maye’s throwing session was with present Tar Heels offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey.
Lindsey took over because the OC underneath head coach Mack Brown final season. Though they saved lots of the similar offensive components, Lindsey did tweak some issues with Maye. Primarily, the teaching employees put extra on Maye’s plate pre-snap to deal with protections and alerts, which Lindsey mentioned Maye has the soccer IQ to deal with within the NFL.
The opposite vital change might clarify one of many greatest knocks on Maye as a prospect. Earlier than his arrival, Maye was backpedaling in his drop-backs somewhat than shuffling his toes underneath the previous regime. Lindsey’s employees modified that to a extra pro-style strategy, so it was a transition for Maye, who admittedly has unsettled toes at occasions within the pocket.
“For him, it was how can we repair our footwork? His drop-back sport, they have been a backpedal drop-back workforce the 12 months earlier than I obtained right here. We’re extra conventional,” Lindsey mentioned. “It was a type of issues that was completely different for him, and I believed he did a pleasant job of that.”
“He was very coachable. The perfect factor about him is the off-the-field stuff, the intangibles. Everyone knows he is a gifted man, however these are the issues that actually stood out to me.”
Lindsey additionally talked about the Tar Heels’ present offense is not what he’d describe as an air raid system, pointing to the heavier personnel groupings, seven-man protections, and Maye having the controls on the line of scrimmage, which is not one thing most air raid groups do recurrently.
The likelihood that Maye merely wants extra expertise utilizing pro-style footwork in his drop-backs somewhat than it being an even bigger concern about his NFL projection was good to listen to.
May the Patriots Pair Maye with High Receiver Tez Walker?
Lastly, Thursday’s exercise was a superb displaying for Maye’s teammate, Tez Walker, who wanted a powerful Professional Day after a bumpy pre-draft course of.
Walker is a vertical risk who clocked a 4.36-second 40-yard sprint in Indy at 6-2, 193 kilos. His field-stretching capability is a plus trait. Nonetheless, Walker lacks branches to his route tree past vertical routes, struggled to separate in Cell, and has points with drops.
On Thursday, Walker caught the ball effectively with robust arms, plucking it away from his physique and displaying off his 83rd-percentile. Though his arms are inconsistent, Walker’s catch radius is noticeable, which is able to assist his quarterback on the subsequent stage.
As a projected day-two decide, the Patriots might pair Maye with Walker. Bringing school teammates collectively within the professionals has labored effectively elsewhere.