Pats Pulpit
Tuesday’s opening practice of mandatory minicamp marked the first time all offseason that the New England Patriots’ entire available roster was on the field together. And while all eyes were on returnees Christian Gonzalez and Kayshon Boutte, they were not the main characters once the session actually began.
With that said, here are four players who caught our eyes from the Gillette Stadium practice fields. Also, for a comprehensive recap of the session, please head over to our Patriots minicamp notebook.
QB Drake Maye: Out of his three practices in front of the media so far this offseason, Tuesday’s was Maye’s best. The third-year quarterback was efficient with the ball and in four competitive team periods completed 19 of 22 pass attempts, with one incompletion being an aborted play due to a blitz. He was decisive and accurate (especially over the middle of the field), spread the ball around well between his targets, and hit Hunter Henry and Rhamondre Stevenson on downfield touchdowns.
“We have seen growth in a lot of players, especially some of the younger ones, which I would consider Drake going into his third year,” said head coach Mike Vrabel ahead of the session. “I think that Josh [McDaniels] and Ashton [Grant] have given him some really positive things to work on, some areas of focus, and being able to try to limit mistakes at the line of scrimmage.”
WR A.J. Brown: Drake Maye’s newest weapon had a solid day, finishing with a pair of catches from the starting QB, including a touchdown on a high-point fade. More so than his actual performance, Brown’s usage caught our eye. He naturally was actively involved with the starters and upped his workload from his first week as a Patriot, but he also was part of an intriguing three-receiver package at one point that featured him at the Z with Kayshon Boutte as the X and DeMario Douglas in the slot.
TE Hunter Henry: Henry has been a go-to target for Drake Maye throughout their two seasons together, and if Tuesday is any indication little is expected to change heading into 2026. The team captain was the starting offense’s busiest receiver, hauling in four catches including a deep touchdown on a corner route. As far as tight ends are concerned, the 31-year-old is unsurprisingly head and shoulders above the rest of the group.
LG Alijah Vera-Tucker: The Patriots’ free agency signing continues to be on a rehabilitation timeline working his way back from a season-ending triceps injury. However, Tuesday saw him increase his participation: after not partaking in full-team drills during the two organized team activities open to reporters, he saw some reps at his left guard spot. There is no real judging his performance in a no-contact environment, but he nonetheless appears to be trending in the right direction.
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