Drake May wants to bring energy, excitement to the practice field as Patriots training camp kicks off

FOXBOROUGH — On the first day of on-field workouts at Patriots training camp, Drake Maye came out firing.

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The star quarterback made a handful of impressive connections Saturday in 11-on-11 work, finding Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas, among others, and looking like he was in midseason form from the jump.

The pads won’t go on for a few days, but as far as the first taste of football, it was an auspicious start to training camp for last year’s MVP runner-up.

“It’s great to be back out here,” Maye said after the workout that ran for roughly 90 minutes.

In all, Maye hit five different receivers during the workout: Rhamondre Stevenson (twice), Romeo Doubs, Hunter Henry, and Douglas and Boutte.

“Thought the guys had some energy,” said Maye, who was serenaded with “MVP” chants as soon as he appeared on the practice field. “We can clean some things up. I think that’s what camp is — the first couple of days, you kind of get in the swing of going full speed again.

“I think you got some run plays now, kind of different than OTAs,” he added. “We’ve got some stuff to clean up offensively, I think for sure, but I think we made some plays. We’ve just got to be consistent and more efficient.”

Maye and A.J. Brown couldn’t connect on an early throw in the first attempt in 11-on-11 work, but the pass for Boutte was another matter. The quarterback and receiver, who developed an excellent chemistry on deep balls last season, flashed that again on Friday. Boutte dove for the pass — which went for roughly 40 yards — over new cornerback Kindle Vildor and held on as he crashed to the ground. His helmet popped off, but Boutte held onto the ball.

The reception brought the biggest cheers of the day, but Maye shrugged a bit when asked about the sequence.

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“Yeah, I mean it’s nothing new,” Maye said of Boutte’s catch. “He just keeps doing things right, and I’m proud of him for you know getting in there and jumping in there. He understands if he’s got a something down the sideline and a ball down the field, that he’s got a chance that it’s coming his way.

“Great catch,” Maye added. “I think that was the better start off camp with a little bit of a deep one. So we were one for one to start.”

It was a busy offseason for Maye, who took some time away from the game to decompress after a long year. But the quarterback did make sure to have the receivers come to North Carolina for some throwing sessions, a series of workouts that he hopes will pay dividends this season.

“Got on the lake and got three days of work,” Maye said. “It was good to have those guys there, and I think it’s huge in the offseason, right before camp, to get guys going and have them. I feel like we had a good group, some good sessions, and it was fun work.”

“Going out there for a few days with Drake and the other guys. Just obviously getting together and building more chemistry; that’s the norm around this league,” Doubs said. “Long story short: it was an amazing session we all had together.”

Maye said Saturday he felt like he had to earn the role of leader. Rallying the receivers for some offseason work is certainly a step in the right direction. Now, as he continues to burnish those skills, he appears poised to take the next step as an NFL quarterback.

“I think for me, the biggest thing I kept on saying last year was like, ‘I feel like I need to do something in this league before I start,’ ” Maye said. “And they kept on pushing me, said, ‘You got to expect that to happen.’ So, I definitely got some more comfort in that area of pushing the guys, and think I need to do it more — celebrating, be louder, and show my personality more. I think the guys will see that naturally.

“I think that’s what camp’s for. And you build through it, and you get to new levels. That’s the best thing about spending every day, all day with each other.”

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