Drake Maye has boosted his hopes of becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL after a stellar display on Thursday.
Maye , who was the third overall pick in this year's NFL Draft , impressed for the New England Patriots in their narrow 14-13 preseason loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in Foxborough. The emerging star produced 47 passing yards, more than fellow New England quarterbacks Joe Milton III (20), Jacoby Brissett (17), and Bailey Zappe (29).
And it didn't take long for Maye to announce his arrival in the NFL. The 21-year-old showed off the cannon in his right arm by pinging a dart at receiver Javon Baker, another one of New England's rookies. Patriots fans will hope that's the start of a new partnership.
Maye then orchestrated, and scored, his first touchdown in the NFL. The rookie QB took the snap on a third-and-goal before breezing through Philadelphia's clueless defense with ease. Maye's confident celebration, presenting the ball to his new adoring fans at Gillette Stadium, suggested this is only the beginning for the promising NFL talent.
"He had great composure," Jerod Mayo said when asked about Maye's performance on Thursday. "I thought it was a good drive. I thought he went out there and did a lot of good things, so hopefully he can build on that, and we'll see how this week goes."
While Maye impressed, his fellow quarterbacks struggled. Brissett wasted his preseason opportunity by seeing his pass intercepted in the end zone, while an errant snap to Zappe in the fourth quarter all but secured the win for Philadelphia.
Maye's performance on Thursday came after Mayo insisted the starting quarterback role is still up for grabs in New England. When asked about Maye being his main QB last month, Mayo said: "This goes to any position, if he comes out here and lights it up - and once again it goes back to the quality of reps - it could absolutely happen."
Mayo added: "Jacoby (right now) looks like the starting quarterback. Now, with that being said, he'll have competition. Let's not forget about even Joe Milton, let's not forget about Zappe. All of those guys will go out there and have opportunities to be the starting quarterback in Week 1."
It's fair to say Maye lit up the Gillette Stadium on Thursday, giving Mayo an almighty selection headache ahead of New England's Week 1 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals on September 8. The Patriots have one more preseason outing before then, with a trip to Washington to face the Commanders in nine days' time.
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