How Drake Maye has ‘surprised’ Chris Simms with his fast development

How Drake Maye has ‘surprised’ Chris Simms with his fast development originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

If Chris Simms was running the New England Patriots, there’s a good chance he wouldn’t have taken Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The former NFL quarterback and NBC Sports analyst had Maye sixth in his 2024 QB prospect rankings behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy. Simms’ contention was that Maye had plenty of talent but was still very raw and had “real mechanical issues” to work through.

Since Maye took over as the Patriots’ starting QB in Week 6, however, he’s looked like the real deal, making plays with both his arm (770 passing yards and six touchdown passes) and his legs (209 rushing yards on 12 attempts with one touchdown) through four starts.

In fact, Maye has looked good enough to make Simms admit the North Carolina product appears ahead of schedule.

🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Chris Simms pleasantly surprised by Drake Maye’s fast development | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

“I am surprised, no question,” Simms told Tom E. Curran on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast. “I saw a little bit in preseason — it wasn’t perfect, but some of the throws I saw, I went, ‘Oh, he’s fixed some of the mechanical issues that I didn’t love about him coming out of college football.’ That’s definitely improved.”

Simms has been particularly impressed by Maye’s footwork and pocket presence. Footwork was a major focus for Maye in training camp, with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt putting the 22-year-old through drills on a daily basis. Those appear to have paid off in game action.

“His feet have calmed down in the pocket,” Simms said of Maye. “I mean, there’s plays you watch in college and you go, ‘He’s doing a carioca and dancing around for no reason.’ Now he’s standing there with them the right position.”

If Maye can get his fundamentals down, that’s a great sign for the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/drake-maye-surprised-chris-simms-181312133.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-11-07 18:18:07

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