NFL Films producer swats down Drake Maye critic's 'raw' assertion

There was a massive overreaction to New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s early training camp practices. FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd even went as far as suggesting Joe Milton III could potentially start ahead of Maye.

He has seemingly changed his tune a bit since that first take after Maye’s impressive performance in the Week 2 preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

When speaking with NFL Films producer Greg Cosell, Cowherd admitted he saw shades of Justin Herbert from a physical standpoint, but he also claimed Maye was still “raw” for an NFL quarterback.

Cosell pushed back on the notion that Maye is raw.

“I’m not sure he’s quite as raw as people think. He had a few things he had to clean up. He tended to drift to his left in the pocket. …But I think he’s comfortable,” said Cosell. “…I got a chance to speak to some coaches at North Carolina, where he played, and they told me, in their mind, ‘There is no bust factor at all with Drake Maye.’

“You have to know the kid, know the way he works, know how he sees the game, know how his teammates respond. I like Drake Maye. I thought he was the toolsiest quarterback in this draft.”

The quarterback competition in New England is still open heading into Sunday’s preseason finale against the Washington Commanders.

Both Maye and Jacoby Brissett are expected to get playing time. Even if Maye doesn’t start right out of the gates, he is clearly closing the gap on Brissett as a future starter.

All quarterbacks develop at different intervals. So there isn’t a manual on when exactly everything will click well enough for Maye to be the guy in New England.

But you can certainly see the flashes of promise on the football field. Maye not only has the potential to be a good quarterback in the NFL. If everything comes together, he can be a great one.