It’s the New York Giants, not the New England Patriots, who have been featured on “Hard Knocks” this offseason. But Patriots fans nevertheless were the ones salivating during the latest episode.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was among the top trending topics this week after “Hard Knocks” showcased a behind-the-scenes clip of his pre-draft interview with the G-Men. Simply put, the No. 3 overall pick aced his pre-draft test as Giants head coach Brian Daboll threw a boatload of information.
It undoubtedly caused the hype surrounding Maye to grow — and for good reason.
Scott Zolak, Patriots radio broadcaster and co-host of 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand,” believes the fan reaction is well-deserved. Zolak stressed how difficult it is to do what Maye did during the whiteboard session with Daboll.
“He digested it fast, which is good,” Zolak said Wednesday on the radio show. “That’s quick because that’s a lot of terminology at this level.”
Countless Patriots fans took to social media when the clip surfaced and expressed added confidence in Maye as the face of the franchise. Some even labeled Maye as the smartest quarterback in the class given how he stacked up with Jayden Daniels, who also was showcased in a clip but seemingly didn’t fare as well as Maye.
The footage makes it easy to understand why Maye was such a highly-touted prospect, and why he impressed the Patriots so much. His football intellect was something Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf highlighted immediately after New England drafted Maye.
An additional “Hard Knocks” clip of Giants general manager Joe Schoen speaking with Wolf further indicated New York’s interest. Schoen asked Wolf to keep the Giants in mind if New England wanted to trade the third overall pick.
The Giants reportedly tried to make a trade with the Patriots in the week leading up to the draft.
Maye, of course, belongs to New England. He’ll take the field in less than two weeks as the Patriots open training camp July 24. But for now, despite the dead period in the NFL calendar, New England fans are able to receive a shot in the arm with the latest look at their franchise signal-caller.
