If Chris Simms was running the New England Patriots, there's a good chance he wouldn't have taken Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The former NFL quarterback and NBC Sports analyst had Maye sixth in his 2024 QB prospect rankings behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy. Simms' contention was that Maye had plenty of talent but was still very raw and had "real mechanical issues" to work through.
Since Maye took over as the Patriots' starting QB in Week 6, however, he's looked like the real deal, making plays with both his arm (770 passing yards and six touchdown passes) and his legs (209 rushing yards on 12 attempts with one touchdown) through four starts.
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In fact, Maye has looked good enough to make Simms admit the North Carolina product appears ahead of schedule.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Chris Simms pleasantly surprised by Drake Maye's fast development | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I am surprised, no question," Simms told Tom E. Curran on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast. "I saw a little bit in preseason -- it wasn't perfect, but some of the throws I saw, I went, 'Oh, he's fixed some of the mechanical issues that I didn't love about him coming out of college football.' That's definitely improved."
Simms has been particularly impressed by Maye's footwork and pocket presence. Footwork was a major focus for Maye in training camp, with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt putting the 22-year-old through drills on a daily basis. Those appear to have paid off in game action.
"His feet have calmed down in the pocket," Simms said of Maye. "I mean, there's plays you watch in college and you go, 'He's doing a carioca and dancing around for no reason.' Now he's standing there with them the right position."
If Maye can get his fundamentals down, that's a great sign for the Patriots, because he has oodles of talent. Simms pointed to Maye's "explosive" arm strength and elite rushing ability as attributes that can cause stress on opposing defenses.
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"When he's back there and he pushes the ball down the field," Simms said, "he can make throws that make defensive coordinators and defensive players go, 'Whoa, hold on. I better back up a little bit or be a little bit more conservative because this guy can throw some lasers or (make) some game-changing types of plays.'
"The second thing is his running. He's one (QB) where I watch games and go, 'Teams better start putting a spy on Drake Maye on third downs,' because when he opens up, he can really go.
"... So, those two things alone, just at a base level, they're hard to defend. 'We've got to defend down the field because he's got a strong arm and he could push it there. Wait, if he doesn't push it down the field, he can run, and there's a lot of space because we're worried about defending down the field.' Those are two things that I think definitely have been weapons for him to this point."
Maye obviously has a long way to go. He's still committing too many turnovers (four interceptions and three fumbles through four starts) and sometimes gets impatient in the pocket. But at the very least, it seems like he's on a path toward success.
"I feel pretty damn good that it's going in the right way," Simms said of the rookie QB. "I'm not totally sold yet, but from what I've seen to this point, he's definitely proved me wrong. I see a lot more positives and negatives, that's for sure."
Also in this episode:
- How hampered is Maye by the lack of offensive talent around him?
- How does Simms feel about Alex Van Pelt and his offensive scheme? Are outside players going to want to come here next year?
- What does Simms make of the majority of the first round QBs having success as rookies?
- What Simms expects to see in Patriots-Bears on Sunday.