Patriots’ Drake Maye Shares His Welcome to NFL Moment

Drake Maye put together a strong rookie season with the New England Patriots. He gave the franchise exactly what it needed to be comfortable that he is truly going to be the long-term franchise quarterback for the future.

Now, the upcoming NFL offseason will be all about building the roster out around him. The Patriots need to bring in a true No. 1 option for him at wide receiver and they need to improve the offensive line as well.

With year one in the books for Maye, he has spoken out some about his experience as a rookie.

In a recent interview, Maye revealed his "Welcome to the NFL" moment.

During a segment on the "Green Light Podcast" with former NFL player Chris Long, Maye spoke out about taking a big hit from Houston Texans star pass rusher Danielle Hunter in his first career start.

“I saw him at the Pro Bowl as well, man,” Maye said.. “And I said, that was my ‘welcome to the NFL moment.'”

“Yeah, that was my moment,” he continued. “First start, Danielle, and obviously, Will Anderson, both of them coming off the edge. We were worried about them. Everybody in the NFL now has, the D-Lines… You all are coming off the edge, man. It’s tough for us QBs. I think every team we face, you feel like the D-Line is always good.”

Hunter truly is one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL. Taking a shot from him in the young quarterback's first start was an eye-opening experience. However, it was also good to get it out of the way.

When all was said and done for Maye's rookie year, he completed 66.6 percent of his pass attempts for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also chipped in 421 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground.

Those numbers were much better than anyone expected. He was placed into the starting role much earlier than either New England or the media wanted, but he thrived.

All of that being said, Maye is targeting a much bigger year two. If the Patriots can put together the right offseason moves to support him more, that should end up happening.

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