Inside Drake Maye’s Showcase and More Patriots Tidbits From North Carolina’s Pro Day

“It’s been awesome,” Maye said about his meetings with the Patriots. “Try to get to know them. Trying to get to know what they’re about, and their championship mindset to get back to the glory days.” Maye also mentioned that he had football discussions with new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, specifically mentioning an opportunity to “learn their stuff [playbook].” 

Although it’s impossible to know what Van Pelt has in mind exactly, the thinking here is that AVP will mimic many of the same things he did in Cleveland with Kevin Stefanski over the last four years. If true, the Browns ran a vertical-based passing system with heavy play-action off bootlegs. After showcasing his ability to execute throws from moving pockets, it’s easy to see how Maye’s mobility and arm talent would fit the scheme. 

Tar Heels OC Chip Lindsey Offers Insight Into Drake Maye

Another insightful conversation that took place before Maye’s throwing session was with current Tar Heels offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. 

Lindsey took over as the OC under head coach Mack Brown last season. Although they kept many of the same offensive elements, Lindsey did tweak some things with Maye. Mainly, the coaching staff put more on Maye’s plate pre-snap to handle protections and alerts, which Lindsey said Maye has the football IQ to handle in the NFL. 

The other significant change could explain one of the biggest knocks on Maye as a prospect. Before his arrival, Maye was backpedaling in his drop-backs rather than shuffling his feet under the old regime. Lindsey’s staff changed that to a more pro-style approach, so it was a transition for Maye, who admittedly has unsettled feet at times in the pocket.

“For him, it was how can we fix our footwork? His drop-back game, they were a backpedal drop-back team the year before I got here. We are more traditional,” Lindsey said. “It was one of those things that was different for him, and I thought he did a nice job of that.”

“He was very coachable. The best thing about him is the off-the-field stuff, the intangibles. We all know he’s a talented guy, but those are the things that really stood out to me.” 

Lindsey also mentioned the Tar Heels’ current offense isn’t what he’d describe as an air raid system, pointing to the heavier personnel groupings, seven-man protections, and Maye having the controls at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t something most air raid teams do regularly. 

The possibility that Maye simply needs more experience using pro-style footwork in his drop-backs rather than it being a bigger concern about his NFL projection was good to hear. 

Could the Patriots Pair Maye with Top Receiver Tez Walker?

Lastly, Thursday’s workout was a good showing for Maye’s teammate, Tez Walker, who needed a strong Pro Day after a bumpy pre-draft process.

Walker is a vertical threat who clocked a 4.36-second 40-yard dash in Indy at 6-2, 193 pounds. His field-stretching ability is a plus trait. However, Walker lacks branches to his route tree beyond vertical routes, struggled to separate in Mobile, and has issues with drops. 

On Thursday, Walker caught the ball well with strong hands, plucking it away from his body and showing off his 83rd-percentile. Although his hands are inconsistent, Walker’s catch radius is noticeable, which will help his quarterback at the next level. 

As a projected day-two pick, the Patriots could pair Maye with Walker. Bringing college teammates together in the pros has worked well elsewhere.