Phil Perry talks with Jim Nagy, Executive Director of Reese’s Senior Bowl, to get his takeaways from the Patriots’ draft. He breaks down why Drake Maye will be able to handle the pressure of New England and gives a scouting report on the four Senior Bowl players the Patriots drafted. Later, Phil gives his OTA observations.
Drake Maye finds himself in a challenging situation after being selected third overall by the New England Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The rookie quarterback joins an offense that has struggled mightily since Tom Brady's departure in 2020. Fellow first-rounder Mac Jones was partly to blame for those issues, though he wasn't exactly surrounded by premier playmakers during his three seasons with the team.
The offense still isn't flush with weapons heading into the 2024 campaign but regardless, expectations will be high for Maye when he takes over under center. The UNC product will almost certainly experience growing pains that open him up to criticism from fans and media.
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For that reason, playing in New England isn't for everyone. Maye, however, may be the perfect fit for such an environment.
Jim Nagy, executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, joined Phil Perry on a new Next Pats Podcast episode and explained why Maye is wired to handle the pressure of playing for the Pats.
🔊 Next Pats: Why Drake Maye is WIRED to handle pressure and other rookie thoughts with Jim Nagy | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"He's going to be a good fit in that market," Nagy said. "This kid, I think when you get to know him, spend time around him, if there are struggles and the fanbase gets on him, I don't think it's going to affect him. He just has one of those personalities where I think stuff's going to roll off him, which he's probably going to need. I mean, what young quarterback doesn't go through struggles? So I think he's equipped for that part of it."
Despite being one of the top QBs in his draft class, Maye wasn't immune to criticism of his game heading into the draft. Nagy shrugged off those critiques and likened them to what we heard about other QBs who have since developed into NFL stars.
"All these guys get picked apart as we get closer to the draft, right? I mean, it's kind of like hole-poking season in March and April, and people were poking holes in Drake's skillset with some of the accuracy stuff," he said.
"I will say this, when you when you see Drake's feet, I think he can clean a lot of that up. Jalen Hurts had the same knock. Josh Allen had the same knock. Lamar Jackson had the same knock. When you're dealing with high-level athletes like Drake is, it all starts with the feet. So I think he'll be fine over time."
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Overall, Nagy is optimistic about the future in Foxboro with a new QB in Maye, a new head coach in Jerod Mayo, and a new de facto general manager in Eliot Wolf.
"I'm excited for New England," Nagy said. "I thought that was a great pick, kind of a a new era with Coach Mayo and Drake and now Ellot Wolf kind of the three of those guys moving forward together. It's pretty cool."
Also in the episode:
- Why Pats taking a swing on Joe Milton is not surprising.
- The potential of Layden Robinson
- What to expect from the WRs the Patriots drafted.
- OTA observations.
