Drake Maye doesn’t sound like a quarterback trying to sort through a crowded receiver room. He sounds like a guy who knows exactly what each wideout brings, and why New England’s offense can use all of them.
That was the message from Maye on SiriusXM on Monday night, when the Patriots quarterback was asked to run through a scouting report on the group competing for targets in camp. With seven receivers in the mix - A.J.
Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism - there’s clearly a logjam coming at some point. The feeling around the roster is that New England will have to move at least one wideout before the 2026 season begins next month.
Maye’s take, though, was simple: each one has a role.
He opened with Brown, who he described as the tone-setter in the room. Maye pointed to the way Brown and Doubs have embraced the competitive edge in the group, and stressed that receivers have to be ready for whatever comes their way.
Brown, in Maye’s words, can not only make the quarterback look good but also turn short throws into explosive plays. Maye said the Patriots have even been studying Brown’s target tape, including the way he can turn a slant or an under route into a touchdown.
At the same time, he praised Brown’s route craft and the fact that he doesn’t rely only on physical talent.
Doubs has also impressed Maye with how quickly he has picked up the offense. Maye said Doubs hasn’t played in an offense with this kind of decision-making before, but has steadily improved through OTAs and camp. The quarterback also noted something he didn’t fully expect when he started throwing to him: Doubs has a little wiggle and can be shifty in space.
Mack Hollins drew a different kind of praise. Maye called him the “Swiss-Army knife” of the group, a player who does everything and brings value in the run game.
He also said Josh McDaniels rewards Hollins with play-action opportunities off that work. Hollins, Maye added, likes in-breaking routes and brings a big, infectious energy that teammates feed off.
Then there’s DeMario Douglas, who Maye said keeps getting better every year. He said the connection with Douglas has grown from his rookie year to Year 3, especially in terms of understanding how Douglas runs routes. Maye also singled out Douglas’ work against man coverage and called him a big part of what the Patriots do in 11 personnel.
Kyle Williams got the deep-ball treatment in Maye’s breakdown. Maye said Williams was more of a big-play receiver last year, but has worked to expand his route tree and build out his route arsenal in his second season. Even with that growth, Maye made it clear that Williams’ speed remains one of his biggest assets.
Boutte earned one of Maye’s strongest endorsements. Maye called him a “comforting receiver to throw to” and pointed to how long they’ve been working together, going back to when Maye was a rookie and Boutte was on scout team.
Maye said he threw his first touchdown to Boutte and described him as quiet, dependable, and consistent. And when it came to the outside noise, Maye didn’t flinch.
“There’s a lot of talk about whatever you want to say with Boutte, but he just continues to make plays.” He added that Boutte is the kind of receiver who will be where he needs to be and make a play on the ball.
Chism, meanwhile, emerged late enough last season to carve out a role when Hollins was hurt. Maye said the Patriots tried to replace what Hollins does, and Chism was part of that effort. He credited Chism for doing the right things and making plays, noting that he was a big preseason performer last year and should keep finding ways to contribute.
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