New England quarterback Drake Maye’s day at rookie minicamp wasn’t done, not by a long shot.
The No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft was just getting started after wrapping up practice on Saturday. After all, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Maye had been at the team facility “all night” on Friday.
“We’ll be here till 7, 8, 9 o’clock. Go in for a lift, then we have some meetings,” Maye said after practice at Gillette Stadium. “The best thing about minicamp is being around the guys for the first time. We’re at the hotel together. We’re right across the hallway from each other, so we’ll watch the film and look at the scripts for the next day together.
“We’ve got nothing else to do up here. Why not focus on football?”
The laser focus already has rubbed off on fellow rookies, including wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, who was drafted one round after Maye.
“Guy can sling it. Very confident and vocal. He’s a leader,” Polk said. “He’s setting the tone in practice, trying to get guys moving around and operating at a high level. This is new to all of us. We’re still learning and trying to get to know each other so everybody can get on the same page.”
At one point Saturday, Maye was under center with Polk lined up to his left and two more rookie receivers — one drafted (Javon Baker) and one undrafted (David Wallis) — lined up to his right. There wasn’t live contact or a pass rush to anticipate. But for Maye, it’s about soaking up as much knowledge as possible.
At times during practice, Maye talked with Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. He also chatted with quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney and offensive assistant coach Ben McAdoo, who has been around his share of top-flight quarterbacks — namely Eli Manning with the New York Giants and Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers.
“T.C. is talking to us during the meetings. Coach Van Pelt will chime in when he needs to. Coach (McAdoo) is awesome,” Maye said. “All three of them know a lot of football.”
Focusing on fundamentals, namely footwork, is a priority for Maye since arriving in New England.
“I’m trying out two new stances that I’m getting used to. Just getting more reps at it,” Maye said. “Footwork is huge. It’s something that’s not easy.”
The learning curve after playing in college at North Carolina will include becoming familiar with the region’s weather patterns. Practice featured a gusty breeze, a possible preview of coming attractions when November and December roll around.
“He has a lot to work on, but I have no doubt that he will put the time in,” Mayo said.
Belichick’s Replacement
The Patriots are going with Eliot Wolf to stock their roster after two decades with Bill Belichick in charge.
The team on Saturday named Wolf, 42, the executive vice president of player personnel, giving him the formal title of the job he had mostly been handling since Belichick was fired. Wolf will control the 53-man roster and manage the salary cap.
Owner Robert Kraft said he wanted to observe the relationship between Wolf and coach Mayo before making it formal.
Wolf is the son of Hall of Famer Ron Wolf, the former Packers general manager. Eliot Wolf has worked 20 seasons with Green Bay, Cleveland and the Patriots. He spent the last two seasons as New England’s director of scouting.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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