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Drake Maye has secured his first NFL touchdown.
After the New England Patriots quarterback failed to find the endzone in his first preseason game, he managed to score on the ground in Thursday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles earned a 14-13 win, but Maye got love from Eagles star Jalen Hurts after the game:
NFL @NFL
Maye 🤝 Hurts pic.twitter.com/LI5mKyAeVY
The quarterback’s best play came in the second quarter on a four-yard rush to give the Pats a 10-3 lead.
NFL @NFL
Who is getting the ball? It’s gonna be Maye 🙌
The rookie runs it in for his first TD of preseason.
📺: #PHIvsNE on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/EBhyDWrVOt
In total, he had four carries for 15 yards along with 47 passing yards, completing six of his 11 passes.
NFL @NFL
Rookie to rookie.
Drake Maye finds Javon Baker to move the sticks ➡️
📺: #PHIvsNE on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6hNa58n3jv
Maye’s passing skills coming into the NFL were evident after a successful career at North Carolina, but he reminded fans that he has the athleticism to be dangerous on the ground on Thursday.
Brayden Ilie @illpill96
Drake Maye has the kind of athleticism we haven’t seen in New England in a WHILE
CoachSwami @Moonlightswami
Drake Maye did like 8 things on that 1 drive that a NE QB hasn’t been able to do since Cam.
Chad Graff @ChadGraff
Drake Maye’s first NFL (preseason) touchdown comes on the run after he keeps it on a zone read.
The Patriots O-line may struggle at times, but Maye’s athleticism shows up in those moments and he’s been good on the move.
Allie Barefoot @arbarefoot
Drake Maye showcasing his athleticism in his first series of NFL preseason week 2 – love it
FantasyScape Podcast @FantasyScape_
Someone tell Drake Maye his rushing production is NOT supposed to translate to the nfl
Matt St. Jean @mattstdream
Saw a TON of that for Drake Maye at UNC. He had 16 rushing touchdowns in college, and the Tar Heels loved using his rushing ability in the red zone to stress defenses.
Mike D. @mdouglas19
Drake Maye is the future and it needs to be there in Week One @Patriots
Zach Bibeau @z_bibeau
drake maye brings a dynamic to the offense that mac jones and bailey zappe didn’t. athletic strong armed QB with different arm angles
Colin @Colin0515
Still too early to tell as far as being a QB goes, but Drake Maye is already significantly more athletic than Mac Jones
While Maye’s bread and butter is finding receivers through the air, he could establish himself as a solid rushing threat as he continues to develop. During his time with the Tar Heels, he tallied 1,140 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He’ll look to translate the ground attack to the next level with the Patriots.
So far in preseason, Maye has picked up 66 passing yards on 8-of-13 passing along with 15 rushing yards and a touchdown. He’s seen limited action through two games, but he’s given fans confidence that he can have a successful rookie year if the Patriots look to him this season.
