Drake Maye grabbed a tablet just seconds after throwing his first NFL touchdown pass. No celebration. No chest-bumping. Just a young quarterback hungry to learn from every snap. For Patriots fans, this scene felt oddly familiar – reminiscent of a certain QB who made studying game footage his trademark for two decades in New England.

The scene played out at Foxborough last Sunday. The Patriots’ rookie quarterback showed flashes of a familiar face who once roamed these sidelines. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson, speaking to talkSPORT End Zone on October 19, painted a picture of a young quarterback channeling Tom Brady‘s legendary approach. “Drake just comes in the building and wants to learn, he just wants to learn every aspect of our offense,” Stevenson revealed. “He’s just trying to be a Pro  and I think he’s doing a very well job at that.”

That hunger for knowledge mirrors Brady’s own philosophy, detailed in his book “The TB12 Method.” Brady’s secret? “Mental toughness is centered on doing the best you can in the present while believing you can do even better in the future.” The parallels don’t stop there. First-year Patriots coach Jerod Mayo spotted another New England legend’s DNA in Maye’s approach – Rob Gronkowski’s infectious energy combined with relentless work ethic.

“He’s a natural leader,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt told ESPN on October 19. “He’s a great studier, a very intelligent guy that can ask great questions in the meeting room. Sitting and watching the preparation of Jacoby for the first five weeks was a big piece of that.” This mirrors Brady’s early days, when Greg Harden, Brady’s mentor at Michigan, preached: “Quit focusing on all the things you can’t control. Focus on being the best version of yourself.”

Veteran tight end Hunter Henry has watched this evolution firsthand. “Early on, he was able to sit back and observe a lot of things and learn. And now he’s kind of setting into that role as a guy,” Henry shared with ESPN. The nine-year NFL veteran added, “He’s great in the locker room. He’s a fun guy to be around. Those relationships are only going to continue to build.”

Drake Maye rising above adversity

When Maye appeared on Wednesday’s injury report with a knee issue, speculation swirled. But the 22-year-old quarterback, channeling the Brady mindset of controlling the controllables, shut down injury questions after arriving in London Friday. “Injuries are something we don’t try to share with the media,” Maye stated firmly, focusing instead on Sunday’s matchup against Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium.

Stevenson noticed that same steely resolve in practice. When asked about changes in Maye since becoming a starter, Stevenson told talkSPORT End Zone: “I’ll say maybe a little bit but like I said he’s been, since I met him, coming in the building preparing like a starter, regardless.” That preparation shows up most clearly in the huddle, where Stevenson spotted something special. “Those play calls, calling those in the huddle, distributing the play call to the wide receivers and the O-line… it sounds minute but it’s a huge deal.”

This mirrors Brady’s philosophy of giving 100 percent, even in seemingly minor tasks. As Brady’s Michigan mentor Harden told Forbes in August 2023: “I am preaching to give 100 percent, 100 percent of the time in everything you do.” Maye has embraced this mindset. Though he’s careful to build his voice gradually. “I can kind of build more and more verbally,” Maye explained to ESPN, describing his approach to leading the huddle while deferring to team captains.

For a Patriots team facing their largest crowd this season at Wembley Stadium (86,857 capacity), Maye’s steady growth offers hope. His commitment to learning, backed by Stevenson’s observations of his “very quick” adaptation, suggests New England might have found their next student of the game. As Mayo told WEEI last week, comparing Maye’s upbeat attitude to Gronkowski’s arrival in 2010: this young quarterback brings both the joy and the work ethic that once defined the Patriots’ dynasty.