FOXBORO — From a loaded quarterback draft class that has seen seven completely different gamers begin video games already this season, Drake Maye is eclipsing all of them.
Fairly frankly, it’s not even shut eight video games into 12 months 2 because the Patriots get ready to face one in every of Maye’s friends, Michael Penix Jr., and the Falcons on Sunday.
Maye stacks up among the many NFL’s finest quarterbacks in all normal and superior stats. He’s enjoying like an MVP candidate whereas the remainder of the quarterbacks from the 2024 NFL Draft class, Caleb Williams (Bears), Jayden Daniels (Commanders), Penix, J.J. McCarthy (Vikings), Bo Nix (Broncos) and Spencer Rattler (Saints), are hovering across the center of the league’s pack or worse.
Maye’s in a category of his personal amongst second-year QBs.
He obtained to know the remainder of the QBs from the 2024 draft properly final spring and nonetheless tracks how they’re enjoying.
“I educated with Bo Nix for the draft. I keep in contact with him. He’s enjoying nice,” Maye stated Wednesday. “Jayden’s had some accidents, however he’s performed properly when he’s been in there. I believe I knew all of them fairly properly. Obtained to know Mike all through the draft course of and being on the Manning Camp and all various things. So he spins the soccer, like the way in which he throws it. He’s a southpaw, however comes out his hand. I observed that once I threw with him. Me and J.J. are cool. Don’t wish to not identify anyone. Spencer Rattler, Caleb. Me and Caleb return to highschool. So obtained to know him rather well. They’re performing some issues in Chicago.”
Maye ranks first in his draft class in yards, touchdowns, passer ranking, yards per try, completion proportion, completion proportion over anticipated (CPOE), EPA (anticipated factors added) per dropback, QBR, PFF grade, PFF passing grade, big-time throw fee, turnover-worthy play fee, and every other metric value discussing.
QBR tells the story finest. It’s a stat developed by ESPN “which values the quarterback on all play varieties on a 0-100 scale adjusted for the energy of opposing defenses confronted.” So, sure, it accounts for the weak energy of schedule that Maye has confronted via eight weeks on the way in which to a 6-2 document.
Maye ranks fourth within the NFL behind simply Dak Prescott, Daniel Jones and Patrick Mahomes with a 76.3 QBR.
The subsequent-best second-year quarterback, Nix, ranks seventeenth with a 58.7 QBR. Williams is 18th, Daniels twentieth, Rattler twenty first and Penix twenty second. McCarthy solely began two video games earlier than struggling a excessive ankle sprain. His 21.5 QBR would rank final amongst beginning quarterbacks.
Final 12 months, it was Daniels who ranked among the many NFL’s finest, putting fourth in QBR, whereas Maye was seventeenth, Nix was 18th and Williams was twenty eighth. Penix and Rattler didn’t qualify with sufficient snaps within the high 32.
However Maye has taken a considerably larger second-year leap than the remainder of his classmates, a lot in order that Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ullbrich in contrast him to Allen this week.
“He’s means higher than I needed him to be,” Ullbrich advised reporters this week. “He feels lots like Josh Allen. He’s an issue.”
It’s been a faster ascension for Maye than anticipated. He ranks fourth amongst all NFL QBs in PFF passing grade, first in passer ranking, first in CPOE and third in EPA per play.
Maye has proven elite accuracy to all depths of the sector, however he’s been particularly adept on deep balls, finishing 18-of-23 makes an attempt for 549 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Maye’s 78.3 completion proportion on deep passes ranks first within the NFL. No different second-year QB has a completion proportion over 50% on deep balls.
“I believe the blokes that he’s been throwing to have helped him, and I believe he stays affected person,” head coach Mike Vrabel stated. “I don’t assume he panics and launches it or throws it seven yards out of bounds, however I believe there’s been lots of enchancment from coaching camp and seeing a few of these passes. I don’t assume there have been as many accomplished within the preseason as there have been within the common season. I’m glad we saved them for the common season.”
Maye is the one NFL QB with a CPOE (the distinction between a quarterback’s precise completion proportion and anticipated completion proportion, controlling for the extent of problem of every move) over 10%. Maye and Rattler are the one quarterbacks from the 2024 class with constructive CPOEs. Daniels, Nix, Penix and Williams all have accomplished fewer passes than anticipated with damaging CPOEs. Williams ranks final within the NFL at -7.1%, which is 17.9 factors decrease than Maye’s.
Maye has accounted for 75.3 anticipated factors added this season. No different quarterback in his class has accounted for greater than 16.1 EPA. Three of his friends, Penix, McCarthy and Rattler, have damaging EPA this season.
The Falcons come into Week 9 with the NFL’s stingiest move protection, permitting simply 149.1 passing yards per recreation. Nonetheless, it will be a shock if Penix can outduel him at Gillette Stadium.
