Earlier this season I gave a scathing early to mid-season review of Drake Maye, arguing he hadn't improved enough from his college flaws through his rookie season, and predicting he was trending toward the bust/wash outcome I'd forecasted in my 2024 pre-draft analysis. Now Maye is in MVP conversations. So what are his persistent flaws, and how do they compare to my initial scouting report? Since I have obvious biases, let's examine what those who cover him professionally have said this season.
Drake Maye's 2025 Season Flaws
1. Holding the ball too long: Maye continues to hold onto the ball for extended periods, leading to a high sack total (he was sacked 44 times in 2024 and has been sacked 24 times through 17 games in 2025). Analysts have described him as sometimes drifting into pressure or even creating pressure himself through poor pocket movement, a concern that directly mirrors pre-draft evaluations about his "average pocket presence" and tendency to hold the ball.
2. Inaccuracy/Inconsistency in ball placement: In specific games, such as the matchup against the Bills, his accuracy and ball placement were notably off. Reports suggested he was not on the same page as his receivers, indicating either a lack of rapport or poor execution on both sides. This echoes pre-draft concerns about his "inconsistent accuracy" and tendency to miss open targets or sail sideline throws. His completion percentage has improved from 66.6% in 2024 to 67.5% in 2025, but inconsistency remains.
3. Struggles when moving past his first read: Maye's performance drops significantly when forced to progress beyond his primary target. He ranks fifth in DVOA on first-read throws but plummets to 22nd when moving to later reads. This directly validates the pre-draft scouting report warning that he "goes with the first read too often" and struggles to work through progressions, allowing defenders to read his eyes.
4. Occasional turnovers/Ball security: Despite general improvement from his rookie 2024 season (11 INTs, 5 fumbles lost) to 2025 (6 INTs through Week 17, 6 fumbles lost), he still commits occasional "boneheaded INTs" and loses fumbles. Critics have pointed to his turnover issues as an ongoing concern, reflecting the pre-draft evaluation that warned he "unnecessarily puts the ball in harm's way," forces throws, and makes "poor decisions."
5. Occasional sloppy footwork/fundamentals: Although Maye has shown improvement over the course of his two seasons, he still exhibits the footwork and fundamental issues that were evident during his college career at UNC, specifically the "inconsistent throwing mechanics/stances" and "inconsistent footwork" noted in pre-draft analysis.
2025 Statistical Overview (Through Week 17):
- Passing: 344 attempts, 232 completions (67.5%), 2,527 yards, 15 TDs, 6 INTs
- Rushing: 98 attempts, 409 yards (4.2 YPC), 2 TDs
- Sacks: 24 sacks taken
- Fumbles: 6 fumbles lost
- Rating: 87.7 passer rating
Conclusion on Developmental Progress
Based on coverage from CLNS, Boston Sports Journal, 98.5 The Sports Hub, NESN, NBC Boston, and Patriots.com, Drake Maye's primary flaws during the 2025 season remain largely mental and technical rather than physical, validating much of the original scouting assessment. The combination of issues points to developmental areas in field processing and pocket presence that were specifically flagged in the 2024 pre-draft evaluation.
Key areas requiring continued development:
- His tendency to hold the ball too long and take unnecessary sacks
- A significant drop in effectiveness when his first read is covered
- Inconsistent accuracy and ball placement under pressure
- Decision-making in complex defensive schemes
These have been the most frequently cited concerns throughout the 2025 season and align closely with the "bust" scenarios outlined in the original scouting report: inconsistent footwork leading to accuracy issues, locking onto receivers, questionable decision-making favoring big plays over smart plays, and struggles against more complex defenses.
Positive Signs:
Despite these persistent issues, media outlets have noted his ability to learn from mistakes and show overall improvement game-to-game. His athletic tools, arm strength, mobility, and ability to extend plays, remain elite when fundamentals are sound. His interception rate has improved (from 3.2% in 2024 to 1.7% in 2025), showing better ball security awareness. His rushing ability (409 yards, 4.2 YPC through Week 17) continues to add a valuable dimension to his game. The question entering the final regular season game and potential playoffs is whether he can minimize the mental errors and execute with consistency when the margin for error shrinks.
Context for the Original Scouting Report:
My 2024 pre-draft evaluation correctly identified Maye as a "boom or bust" prospect with "prototype build" and elite physical tools but significant developmental concerns. The assessment warned he would "need to sit a season minimum" and required extensive work on consistency, decision-making, and reading complex defenses.
After nearly two seasons (13 games in 2024, 17 games through Week 17 of 2025), many of those developmental concerns persist, though there's been incremental progress. The original comparisons remain relevant:
- Ceiling: Eli Manning - clutch performer with elite arm who overcame inconsistency (244 INTs, 125 Fumbles, 411 Sacks)
- Middle: Rob Johnson - big arm, athletic, but never put it together consistently (23 INTs, 14 Fumbles, 140 Sacks)
- Floor: Johnny Manziel - relied too much on improvisation, poor decisions (9 INTs, 9 Fumbles, 22 Sacks)
Maye currently sits somewhere between the middle and ceiling projections. The upcoming final regular season game and potential playoff appearance barring injury, will be crucial tests of whether his developmental trajectory continues upward toward the Manning ceiling or stalls closer to the Johnson middle ground, a talented quarterback whose mental processing never caught up to his physical gifts.
Now unlike myself, many other scouting reports I had read on Maye compared him to Josh Allen (Career: 94 INTs, 71 Fumbles, 229 Sacks). Allen when he was coming out of college was compared to Big Ben (Career 211 INTs, 115 Fumbles, 554 Sacks) and Brett Farve (Career: 336 INTs, 166 Fumbles, 525 Sacks), so essentially, the reports were comparing Maye to the two superbowl winners, that had a career of ball safety, sack, and just overall concerns throughout their careers. While I gave three more realistic options, so overall, Maye is and has been compared to 6 quarterbacks minimum with concerns throughout their career, that some made up for with talent, coaching, and players around them.
The pattern across all six of Maye's comparisons if were honest:
All six had big arms with velocity, Athletic/mobile for their size, held ball too long, forced throws into coverage, inconsistent accuracy under pressure, high sack totals, turnover-prone but capable of elite plays. Maye was okay but nothing special under Van Pelt and his simplistic west coast offense, with no guarantee he had a career. In 2025, he's been rescued by Josh McDaniels's mind and quarterback safety blanket offense.
The critical question remains:
Can Maye develop the consistent pre and post-snap processing, progression reading, and decision-making required to reach his ceiling, or will the mental side of the position continue to limit an otherwise elite physical talent? His statistical improvement in some areas (completion percentage up, interception rate down) suggests progress, but the persistent issues with sacks, progression reads, and consistency under pressure indicate significant developmental work remains.
Who am I:
I'm a Patriots blogger who correctly identified Drake Maye's developmental red flags in my 2024 pre-draft analysis. While he's now in MVP conversations, the same processing issues I flagged persist, and many beat writers covering him daily agree. My 2,000-word analysis examines whether Maye's improvement is real development or elite coaching masking fundamental flaws, using film analysis, advanced stats (DVOA), and historical QB comparisons.
I've always favored cerebral pocket passers over flashy athletic quarterbacks who rely on running ability and arm strength. I predicted Drake Maye would bust. Now he's in MVP talks, but I remain concerned. I credit Van Pelt and McDaniels for his success over his rookie and sophomore seasons; they've protected him with scheme. 'Fool's gold' is the best description I've heard about the 2025 Patriots, which I think currently fits Maye until he cleans up the five issues detailed above. And I'll stand by that even if he wins the MVP and or finishes the 2025 season with a superbowl ring.
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