FOXBOROUGH — Growing up in Huntersville, North Carolina, Drake Maye was an excellent football player.
He was also a terrific basketball player and pretty good on the baseball diamond, too. In an age of increased specialization, the Patriots quarterback was a three-sport athlete.
“Whatever season it was, that was my favorite sport,” Maye said. “I think I got that from my brothers. They all three played them all.”
Maye believes both baseball and hoops translated to his quarterbacking. Throwing a baseball, Maye could experiment with arm angles and distances. By high school, Maye was down to basketball and football. He thinks being a point guard is very similar to being a signal caller.
“Just having the ball in your hands and making decisions with space and seeing defenders,” Maye said. “Making split-second decisions is kind of the biggest thing in basketball. You make split-second decisions, and that’s my job at quarterback. You make really fast decisions, gotta see the defense and decide if you want to pass, shoot, drive, whatever you want.”
Maye understands why some athletes specialize in one sport, but looking back on it, he’d never change his path to the NFL.
“I loved playing sports growing up, all three,” Maye reiterated. “Specializing, I think that’s become more and more of a common thing now. Whether it’s right or wrong, it kind of works for different people. But I know, Lord willing, if I have some kids, they’ll be playing a bunch of sports. So I look forward to that.”