Julian Edelman believes Drake Maye has shown ‘a lot more progression’ than Caleb Williams
"He's getting hit a lot and he's still making plays."
Julian Edelman has liked what he’s seen so far from Drake Maye, to say the least.
The former Patriots wide receiver admitted that he had some questions about Maye before he made his first start during a recent appearance on “The Herd.” Now, six starts into Maye’s career, Edelman’s worries have been dropped due to the way the rookie quarterback has handled the environment around him.
“I’m really impressed with how Drake Maye’s been playing these last few weeks and continually improving,” Edelman said. “I was a little skeptical at first, you know, with Drake. Is he too young? Does he not have enough reps? Is he too raw? And he’s gone in there and he’s made plays without an offensive line.
“I think that’s been huge because I didn’t think he could do that. The fact that they don’t have anyone on the offensive line – David Andrews, their No. 1 offensive lineman, he’s on IR (injured reserve). He’s the one that gets that thing going. They’ve got a bunch of journey guys.”
To Edelman’s point, the Patriots’ offensive line has ranked among the worst in the league this season. They only have a 50 percent pass-block win rate, which is last in the league. The unit was also ranked as the worst offensive line in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, who also graded their pass-block efficiency 22nd in the league.
But Maye’s mobility has helped negate some of the issues the Patriots have had along the offensive line. He’s been pressured on 37.6 percent of his dropbacks, which is down from the 44.1 percent pressure rate Jacoby Brissett faced, per PFF.
Maye hasn’t put up the greatest numbers when pressured, completing just 50.9 percent for 293 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. However, he’s been a solid passer when blitzed, completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 388 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions on such plays, according to PFF.
Maye’s ability to operate in a less-than-ideal setting and handle blitzes well is what has impressed Edelman the most.
“The toughest thing for a young quarterback to get comfortable is when there’s people on your lap,” Edelman said. “He’s been able to deliver throws with people on his lap and he’s progressed with his pocket presence and he’s improving each week.”
Edelman likes Maye’s background as well, believing his upbringing as the youngest of four sons has helped him.
“I love, I heard Brian Hoyer talking about it, his attitude,” Edelman said. [Hoyer’s] out back East and he hears a lot more in the camp and [Maye]’s a guy that’s the runt of four athletes, all boys. His mom’s the best athlete in the family, he says.
“Like, he’s known what it’s been like to get his teeth kicked in. He’s always had to probably fight for the scraps at the dinner table and that’s how he plays. That’s what he’s done each week.”
Maye’s progression led Edelman to make an assertion that some might find bold.
“He gets his teeth kicked in weekly,” Edelman said. “He’s getting hit a lot and he’s still making plays. We’re seeing a lot more progression with Drake Maye than we’re seeing with Caleb Williams.”
Williams, who the Bears selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, mostly has better volume stats than Maye as he’s started four more games than him. He’s thrown for 2,016 yards to Maye’s 1,236. He’s rushed for 306 yards, but Maye isn’t too far behind at 260. Maye has actually thrown more interceptions than Williams (six to five) as the two have each thrown nine touchdowns.
From an efficiency standpoint, though, Maye has Williams beat. Maye has completed more passes (66.7 percent to Williams’s 61.8 percent), a higher yards per attempt (6.5 to 6.2), and a higher passer rating (87.5 to 82.3).
Of course, Maye won the head-to-head matchup between the two quarterbacks in Week 10. The Patriots rookie completed 60 percent of his passes for 184 yards, a touchdown, and an interception with a 79.4 passer rating and 24 rushing yards in the 19-3 win over the Bears. Williams, meanwhile, threw for just 120 yards on 30 attempts as he was sacked a whopping nine times in the loss, which cost offensive coordinator Shane Waldron his job.
The debate on whether Maye or Williams is a better quarterback will likely go on for years to come. But it’s hard to debate Edelman’s point that Maye’s been impressive and is “continually improving.”
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