Breer: What Texans coaches thought of Drake Maye in first NFL start originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There’s been plenty of buzz in New England about Drake Maye after the rookie quarterback tossed three touchdown passes in his first NFL start against the Houston Texans last Sunday.
But are Maye’s opponents also buying into the hype?
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer joined NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Pregame Live on Sunday morning to relay what a few Texans coaches told him about Maye’s performance — a 20 for 33 effort for 243 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble in a 41-21 Patriots loss.
And they weren’t exactly as bullish on the No. 3 overall pick.
“I caught up with a couple of Texans coaches over the course of the last few days,” Breer said, as seen in the video player above. “One said to me, ‘I’d give him an incomplete grade. We gave them those two long touchdowns in man coverage. He put the ball there, that’s good on him. But I wonder now if more teams will play them in zone coverage so he has to decipher what’s going on out there.’
“‘Overall, he’s above the line in a lot of areas, but maybe not elite in any one of them. Good accuracy, good arm strength, good athlete, good kid.’
“This coach actually said they need Rhamondre Stevenson back in there to manage their offensive line issue, which is something I think the rest of us can see. So, pretty good start for Drake Maye but still a lot of questions to answer going forward.”
Maye’s first NFL TD pass was a 40-yard strike to Kayshon Boutte, who beat Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. in man coverage on a go route. Maye made several strong throws and showed command of the offense after a shaky start, but now that there’s game tape on the rookie QB, he should expect to see a lot more wrinkles from opposing defenses going forward.
This scouting report is a good reality check for Patriots fans; while there’s plenty to be excited about with Maye, he still has plenty of room to grow and could face some challenges as defenses become more familiar with his game.
Still, there’s no doubt Maye has a higher ceiling than veteran Jacoby Brissett, as one Texans staffer made sure to tell Breer after the rookie tossed a touchdown pass on the Patriots’ opening drive against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.
Another thing to add here, that a Texans staffer said to me: “He definitely gives them a better chance to win than Brissett.” Looks obvious now. https://t.co/MPs5V01D0l
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 20, 2024
Check out the video above for more intel from Breer on Maye.
