The New England Patriots threw Drake Maye into the deep end Sunday, and the rookie quarterback proved he's quite the strong swimmer.
Maye completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards and rushed for 38 yards on five carries while becoming the first QB in the modern NFL era to throw at least three touchdown passes and lead his team in rushing in his first professional start.
The 22-year-old made plenty of mistakes -- including two interceptions and a lost fumble -- that contributed to the Patriots' 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans, but he also made several eye-opening plays that suggest he has a bright NFL future.
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So, how much stock should we put in Maye's first NFL start, and how high is his ceiling? Former NFL safety and front office executive-turned-ESPN analyst Louis Riddick joined Phil Perry on a new Next Pats Podcast to explain why Patriots fans should be thrilled to have Maye as their starter going forward.
🔊 Next Pats: Louis Riddick explains why Drake Maye could be one of THE BEST | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"This kid is uniquely wired in such a way that he understands that it's not going to all be perfect, on his own accord, let alone what is surrounding him," Riddick said of Maye. "And I'm not saying he's going to throw people under the bus, but it's not perfect yet. The offensive line is not good enough yet. The wide receiver corps is not good enough and consistent enough. ... (But) he showed you he's ready for the challenge."
Some worried that starting Maye too soon on a Patriots team that has one of the worst offensive lines and receiver rooms in the league could cause permanent damage to the rookie QB. But Riddick believes Maye has both the physical tools and the mental makeup to "survive" the current situation in New England and thrive when the talent around him improves.
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"He may have very bad games here over the course of the season. I would bet this conversation is going to ramp up again. But I think as long as he understands and keeps it in context and the people around him keep it in context, he's going to be just fine," Riddick said.
"He's going to come out of this better to the point where he's going to be so damn far ahead when it all is kind of settled around him that you're going to have something real, real special with him -- meaning one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL."
That's a bold take, but Riddick speaks from a position of knowledge: He spent time talking to Maye and people who knew him at North Carolina in the lead-up to the 2024 NFL Draft and came away impressed with the former Tar Heel's intangibles.
"It's talking to the people down at in Chapel Hill about him. It's talking to people who scouted him and did work on him in the pre-draft process," Riddick said. "And yeah, individually, it's about my perception of him in the time I got to talk to him and his ability to be realistic about where he is relative to where he wants to go, and how he's willing to embrace that journey and not be deterred by what is obviously going to be a rocky road."
Also in this episode:
- 10 reasons to feel optimistic about the Patriots' future
- What most impressed Louis Riddick about Maye's first start?
- Louis Riddick on the decision to wait until Week 6 to start Maye