Mike Reiss, ESPN Group of workers Editor
FOXBOROUGH, Aggregate. — Fast-hit ideas and notes across the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Maye hour: When Phil Longo used to be offensive coordinator/quarterbacks teacher on the College of North Carolina from 2019 to 2022, he recalls what opened up when the varsity used to be recruiting Drake Maye, whose community has deep ties to the varsity.
Maye and then-incumbent Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell ended up on reverse ends of a pingpong desk and it changed into a marathon fit.
“They stayed at the house until 2 in the morning because neither wanted to leave until they were ahead. You just couldn’t get them out of the house. At some point, we had to go in there and kick them out,” Longo informed ESPN.
“I remember feeling like ‘We’re recruiting the right people’ because that’s what you need out of your quarterback. A guy who can’t stand losing and is going to fight to the end of the game. I was already able to say that about Sam, then I was very fortunate to have another one [in Maye].”
Howell went directly to grow to be a fifth-round select of the Washington Commanders within the 2022 NFL draft. This yr, Maye is projected to move previous. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. slotted Maye to the Patriots at Refuse. 3 in his first mock draft.
So what must Patriots fanatics find out about Maye?
Longo begins with the quarterback’s basketball background as a result of he believes it’s what makes him a novel probability.
“There’s a longstanding history of basketball in his family and it’s really what plays into him being as athletic as he is. You look at him, and he’s a tall, lanky quarterback [6-foot-4, 230 pounds]. I don’t think just looking at him that you would initially think he’s as athletic as he is,” he stated.
“I’m certainly not saying he’s Patrick Mahomes, but he is in that mold. Mahomes has his own unique kind of body style; the way he walks and carries himself. Drake is a little different. He has really, really good feet. He can contort his body in a lot of different ways and make throws. He can throw offplatform extremely well — better than you would think. That is one of the things that I think separates him from some others. It will be interesting to see how it translates at [the NFL] level, but he also was an exceptional runner at the college level.”
Longo’s attack-minded offense — which pulls parallels to the past due Mike Leach’s Wind Raid device — introduced out the most efficient in Maye in 2022, his first season as a full-time starter. Maye used to be 342-for-517 for 4,321 yards, with 38 landing passes and 7 interceptions. He added 653 speeding yards on 172 carries and 7 touchdowns.
Longo moved directly to grow to be Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator in 2023 and Maye wasn’t as fruitful in his 2nd season as a starter, completing 269-for-425 for three,608 yards, with 24 landing passes and 9 interceptions. He additionally had 449 speeding yards on 112 carries and 9 touchdowns.
The important thing characteristics that intrigue NFL groups, alternatively, didn’t exchange.
“He has good arm strength, good vision and he’s very, very intelligent. He is very consistent with his decision-making,” Longo stated. “He is aggressive when you give him some freedom in regards to checking a route or plays. He’s a good, total-package kid.”
Maye’s father, Mark, performed soccer at UNC (1983-87). His brother Luke performed basketball on the college (2015-19) and gained a countrywide championship, and some other brother, Beau, used to be a walk-on for the Tar Heels within the 2022-23 season. Any other brother, Cole, gained a baseball nationwide name at Florida.
Longo stated he believes that Maye’s enjoy rising up in an “ultra-sport-driven family” fed his aggressive nature, which is the kind of factor NFL scouts ask him about as a lot, if now not extra, than what they see at the ground.
“The majority of the questions are about the things you can’t see on film. What is the character of the kid? Is he obsessed with the game? Does he have natural leadership ability? If he does, what is it? Is he a quiet guy that is going to teach and mentor and coach guys? Is he a yeller and a screamer?” Longo defined.
“Matt Corral, who we had at Ole Miss, wore all his emotions on his sleeve. You knew how he was feeling just by looking at him. That’s how he played and it’s what made him good. Then Sam [Howell] was the opposite. He was cool, calm, collected — the house is on fire and it doesn’t matter, he’ll handle the problem, assess it and address it.
“After Drake is more or less in-between — you’ll be able to inform when he’s fired up, when he’s satisfied, when he’s upset with himself, when he doesn’t like a choice. But it surely used to be by no means so drastic that he will get off that midline of being composed or i’m ready that it might have an effect on him emotionally within the sport. He’s very mature.”
2. Coaching follow-ups: First-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo noted in a Monday interview on sports radio WEEI that his top priority is to build his coaching staff. He moved the football forward on defense with the anticipated promotion of defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington, and now the focus turns to offense and special teams.
At this point, the majority of interviews with coaches from other teams have been over video conference and described more as initial conversations. Thus, the next step is flying candidates who made a strong initial impression into town for in-person interviews, which should shift the hiring process into a higher gear this week.
Those that have reportedly already spoken with Mayo, or plan to take action, come with Thomas Brown (Panthers OC), Nick Caley (Rams TEs), Tanner Engstrand (Lions passing sport coordinator), Brian Fleury (49ers TEs), Luke Getsy (Bears OC), Jerrod Johnson (Texans QBs), Thomas McGaughey (Giants STs), Dan Pitcher (Bengals QBs/remains in Cincinnati), Zac Robinson (Rams QBs), Jeremy Springer (Rams workman particular groups) and Marquice Williams (Falcons STs/remains with Falcons).
Caley, the previous longtime Patriots tight ends teacher who interviewed for the group’s offensive coordinator activity in 2022, is seen by way of some similar to the method as well-positioned to in the end govern the offense.
3. Belichick’s motivation: Tom Brady had the “Brady 6” — the six quarterbacks decided on sooner than him within the 2000 draft who at all times served as a motivating issue. Now Invoice Belichick has the “Belichick 7” — the seven franchises (alternative than the Patriots) that had head-coaching openings this offseason and elected to rent others (assuming Seattle and Washington achieve this). The ones ordinary with Belichick’s pondering relay that he believes having refuse activity is a greater outcome than a task that wasn’t the appropriate are compatible. So it sort of feels defend to mention he’ll be ambitious to search out the appropriate one going forward.
4. Mayo leftovers: Some of the leftover nuggets of observe from Mayo’s preliminary radio interview:
He has but to progress into Belichick’s impaired place of job. “I’ll get there at some point,” he stated.
Director of participant workforce Matt Groh and director of scouting Eliot Wolf have basically helped him throughout the interview procedure with development a team of workers.
Of Belichick, he stated: “I feel like Coach still has a lot left in the tank. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Of Steve and Brian Belichick most likely staying: “I have a good relationship with both of them. They’re great coaches.”
He isn’t certain what longtime particular groups captain Matthew Slater is planning on doing in 2024.
Summing up his taste: “It’s about the players. One thing I took away from Coach Belichick is players win games and coaches lose games. We can talk all we want to about scheme and what we want to do, but if you don’t have players out there that have a shared vision, it’s going to be hard to score points. … We will remain a game-plan team. Whatever we have to do to make the other team play ‘left-handed’ — offensive, defensive and special teams-wise — that’s always been the goal.”
5. Scouting path: With Senior Bowl practices scheduled for this age, Troy Brown (receivers/returners) is the one Patriots teacher scheduled to be readily available, barring a past due exchange of plans. Brown used to be dedicated to wait as one of the most Senior Bowl offensive coordinators, offering him a prospect to achieve extra enjoy, in a choice made sooner than the Patriots’ teaching exchange from Belichick to Mayo. As for Mayo, staying at the back of in Foxborough provides him a prospect to drill ailing on finalizing his teaching team of workers.
6. Jordan’s versatility: Working again Dion Lewis is likely one of the manage examples of a Patriots “futures” signing paying off (2015), and moment the ones were extra of the exception, right here’s something that fifth-year offensive lineman Michael Jordan has going for him nearest signing with Brandnew England extreme Wednesday — versatility. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Jordan has basically performed cover in video games, however the Packers had him paintings most commonly at heart in practices in 2023 and the Panthers had additionally experimented with him at take on in preseason video games.
7. Stewart’s intel: Proprietor Robert Kraft stressed out the collaborative method the Patriots hope to undertake in 2024, and the Jordan signing — albeit a little one — displays a part of what he used to be citing. If Patriots senior workforce assistant Patrick Stewart wasn’t on team of workers, my figuring out is that it more than likely doesn’t occur. Stewart used to be director of participant workforce/VP of participant workforce at Carolina from 2020 to 2022, a stretch when Jordan began 10 video games for the Panthers.
8. Bizarre’s offseason: With foundation left cover Cole Strange having gone through knee surgical treatment, which places him on extra of a rehabilitation song this offseason, it highlights the virtue of the group development constituent intensity. Jake Andrews, the 2023 fourth-round select from Troy, completed the season at left cover. Atonio Mafi, the 2023 fifth-round select from UCLA, used to be the preliminary manage alternative. Now Jordan provides another choice.
9. JuJu assessments in: Patriots huge receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who ignored the extreme 3 video games of the season with an ankle shock and not gave the impression absolutely wholesome when he joined the group, used to be one of the most few gamers appearing up at Gillette Stadium extreme age. He’s scheduled to earn $7 million in assured cash in 2024 and rely $10.2 million in opposition to the wage cap, so the Patriots hope to obtain extra go back on their funding than they did extreme season (29 catches, 260 yards, 1 TD).
10. Do you know? The Patriots have drafted simply six gamers from the College of North Carolina — heart Rip Hawkins (2nd around, 1961), cover Ron Wooten (6th, 1981), cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock (3rd, 1995), protection Dexter Reid (fourth, 2004), receiver Brandon Tate (3rd, 2009) and nostril take on Tim Goad (fourth, 1988).
