Patriots QB Drake Maye Looked 'Phenomenal' In Practices, And Nobody Should Be Surprised

Drake Maye has pull.

It's evident just two years into his NFL career. The New England Patriots quarterback is a talent that players across the league want to play with.

It's a far cry from Tom Brady, the Patriots Hall of Famer who was able to get plenty of talent to join the New England rosters during his career. But the 23-year-old Maye has shown enough both on the field and off of it to earn the respect of his colleagues.

One of those already is safety Kevin Byard, who signed a one year deal in free agency to reunite with head coach Mike Vrabel -- his former coach with the Tennessee Titans. Since arriving, he's been impressed with his new teammate under center, one that he says is already shining during the non-padded spring practices.

"Being around Drake Maye for the first time, he's such a great personality," Byard said on Sirius XM NFL Radio earlier this week. "He's a guy that not only commands the team, commands the locker room, but he's very personable. You can go and approach him and all that different stuff."

Maye's Accuracy On Point This Spring

Maye has gotten off to a fast start to his third season in the NFL, but that shouldn't surprise anyone. The MVP runner up looked accurate beyond belief during the Patriots' OTAs and mandatory minicamp sessions earlier this spring. He was firing the ball all over the field with ease and commanding the huddle like a 10-year pro.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) scrambles against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It stood out to Byard, who played with an equally-talented quarterback in Caleb Williams for the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears. So when he discussed coming to New England back in March, Maye's name came up plenty.

"Everybody wants to play in New England because of the quarterback," Byard said. "And I think when you talk about a successful offense, it all starts with him. So I would definitely say he's the most important piece, the most important chess piece that we have there."

We haven't gotten the full taste of Maye v. Byard yet. That will come during the summer months once the pads get strapped on for training camp. We've had glimmers of it during the spring, but

But Maye was cooking against anyone that lined up against him, and it didn't matter who was on the receiving end of his passes. A.J. Brown. Romeo Doubs. Hunter Henry. TreVeyon Henderson. The Patriots captain found anyone and everyone.

The showing impressed the reporters who stood on the sideline watching practice. It also impressed the sure-to-be defensive captain who stood across from him on the field and stands with him in the locker room.

"I mean, you’re talking about a guy that was a runner up for MVP, possibly could have won it," Byard said. "He's an incredible talent. I think he just has a great command for the offense, for his leadership, he's breaking down every huddle.

Byard Impressed With Young Teammate

Jun 9, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots safety Kevin Byard III (31) speaks to the media after minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"He looks phenomenal. He looked phenomenal in the spring."

Byard has seen plenty of good football during his lengthly NFL career, which has had stops in Tennessee, Philadelphia and Chicago. His stop (one season for now) in New England could end up being the best of the bunch.

But that shouldn't surprise anyone, considering the talent that Maye displayed last season. In his first full year as the Patriots starter, Maye used his arm and legs to create havoc for opposing defenses. Sure, the postseason was sloppy on all accounts, but when you take a step back and look at the entire year as a whole, Maye became one of the league's top quarterbacks.

Now the Patriots come into 2026 with expectations, mostly because of Maye.

A lot of that will come down to how No. 10 plays on the other side of the ball this year.

For Byard, he's going to have a front row seat to the show that the New England region has enjoyed for the last few seasons.

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