If the New England Patriots want an accurate assessment of rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s potential, they should consider arch-enemy Josh Allen an authority on the subject. The Buffalo Bills QB1 has made a bold prediction about what the future holds for the third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Allen, who has been a thorn in the Patriots’ sides for years, believes Maye’s “going to be really good for a really long time. He’s making some unbelievable plays, extending and from the pocket. I’ve got a lot of respect for his game,” per The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.
Maye will get the chance to justify Allen’s assessment when the Bills host the Pats at Highmark Stadium in Week 16. The game on Sunday, December 22 has playoff implications for Buffalo, but the Patriots will be playing for more than just pride.
They’ll be using the contest as a barometer for how Maye compares to Allen. The latter has turned the Bills into contenders the same way Maye is expected to turn the Patriots around.
Josh Allen a Good Benchmark for Drake Maye
This isn’t the first time a comparison can be drawn between Allen and Maye. It’s an apt comparison because both are physically imposing signal-callers who can beat up defenses on the ground and through the air.
Comparisons between the two were being made before the draft, but not everybody was convinced. Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the most famous doubter, with the six-time Super Bowl winner reminding everyone Allen is a “pretty special player.”
Belichick was right to sound a note of caution based on his own head-aches trying to stop Allen. The latter is 6-5 against the Patriots in the regular season, according to StatMuse, but Allen also owns a 47-17 playoff victory over New England from the 2021 campaign.
To his credit, Maye knows he’s not at Allen’s level yet. The 22-year-old admitted as much to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald: “I think I’ve got a long way to go to get anywhere close to playing like that.”
Despite Maye’s sense of perspective and Belichick’s caution, one current member of the Patriots roster is convinced Maye is better than Allen was as a rookie in 2018.
That’s a bold statement, but Volin’s colleague Conor Roche detailed for the Globe how Maye’s “simply put up better passing numbers as a rookie than Allen did. He’s completed 68.5 percent of his passes for 1,898 yards (6.8 yards per attempt), 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with an 88.4 passer rating in 10 games (nine starts).”
That all sounds good, but one interesting note from Roche shows a subtle, but key difference between Maye and Allen. A difference Patriots fans may not appreciate.
Patriots Not Letting Drake Maye Cook
As Roche pointed out, “Maye has been more conservative in pushing the ball down the field than Allen. He has a 7.3 ADOT, which is one of the lower ADOTs among the quarterbacks who’ve started the majority of their team’s games. Only 8.2 percent of his attempts have gone over 20 yards in the air and 18.3 percent of his passes went an intermediate distance, which also both rank toward the bottom among quarterbacks who have started the majority of their team’s games this season.”
The lack of vertical strikes can be attributed, in part, to a conservative offense called by coordinator Alex Van Pelt. He’s been fending off criticism from multiple sources, including head coach Jerod Mayo, but Van Pelt has the support of Maye.
That’s important because the Patriots need Maye to have a rapport with the coach most closely aligned with his development. Van Pelt has that vital role, and he sees “similar qualities” between Maye and Allen, per CLNS Media’s Mike Kadlick.
Helping Maye reach Allen’s status will require Van Pelt eventually loosening the reins. He’ll need to let the first-year passer give full vent to his arm talent and knack for making plays off script.
Those traits can help Maye overcome a mediocre supporting cast at wide receiver and still post the numbers needed to set himself up for an Allen-esque career.
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