Patriots coaching staff is making way too many excuses for Drake Maye

The New England Patriots were perceived winners in the NFL Draft. In the humble opinion of this sports writer, Drake Maye was the clear No. 2 prospect behind Caleb Williams. I understand the base appeal of Jayden Daniels' dual-threat skill set, but Maye's size, power, and athleticism — even if mostly contained within the pocket — was a no-brainer for the QB needy Pats at No. 3.

Maye, 21, was less experienced compared to his top-10 peers, though. He only got two full seasons under his belt at North Carolina. The uber-talented gunslinger put together a dominant, award-worthy sophomore campaign, then followed it up with a more average junior season. Scouts were willing to overlook Maye's junior struggles in favor of eye-popping sophomore tape, but the seeds of doubt were planted early.

Now, Maye is engaged in an open position battle with veteran Jacoby Brissett at Patriots training camp. The early reviews are decidedly mixed. Maye has shown undeniable arm talent and he's processing the offense quickly, but Brissett has been the far more stable and productive QB. It's just training camp, but Maye appears to be less advanced than others from this rookie class. Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, and of course Caleb Williams all feel like day-one starters, with J.J. McCarthy also in that mix in Minnesota.

Here's the latest on Maye's training camp from NBC Sports' Phil Perry.

"Maye went 3-for-10 in 11-on-11 periods and 3-for-5 in 7-on-7 work, giving him a competitive-period final line of 6-for-15... In Saturday's 7-on-7, Maye hit on an over route to Ja'Lynn Polk for a touchdown with Hearn in coverage that was accurate and on time. He found Javon Baker on an out route near the sideline as the rookie wideout got out of his break, which led Brissett running out onto the field to celebrate. And Maye's best throw of 7-on-7 might've been a slant through traffic to tight end Mitchell Wilcox. It was out quickly and on target but dropped. When the pass-rush got onto the field in 11-on-11, the game changed for Maye and the second-team Patriots offense."

In short, Maye dominated 7-on-7 reps and struggled once the pass rush took effect. There's an obvious excuse — the Patriots' cruddy second team O-line, as outlined by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer — but excuses are the death of hyped prospects. If Maye is performing well below the standards set by Brissett, New England fans are in for a disappointing season.

"Drake Maye has had rough moments, to be sure, but New England Patriots people attribute that to him running with the second team, and how the team’s offensive line depth issue has really shown up with that group... He sees things right away, and his footwork has come a long way, too. That said, to this point, Jacoby Brissett has been the best quarterback in camp."

Drake Maye struggling under pressure in Patriots training camp

It's hardly unheard of for 21-year-old quarterbacks to struggle in training camp, especially taking second team reps on a bad roster. Maye definitely has poor infrastructure around him. New England's offensive line was among the worst in the NFL last season and the Patriots' WR room leaves a lot to be desired. Especially once you're to the second team.

Maye deserves time and patience. Brissett starting the season under center, which feels like a foregone conclusion at the moment, would not be a disaster. It may be a disappointment to those in the fanbase who are eager to watch their prized rookie quarterback, but New England will at least feign competitive desires out of the gate. Brissett has been around the block a few times and he's an established NFL starter.

The Patriots are going to be bad, though, which means Maye will eventually get a crack at it. It's hard to predict how exactly the rook will look with the first unit — we haven't really seen it in camp — but if Maye's struggles with accuracy follow him from Carolina to the NFL, he is going to take his lumps in year one. Pro defenses tend to pounce on mistakes more often than ACC defenses. It's just a fact.

It's clear Maye has not been as dominant as expected (or at least hoped) in training camp. That doesn't mean it is time to panic, but it does throw some cold water on already low expectations for the Patriots' 2024 season.