9 Patriots takeaways from an eventful Day 10 of training camp

FOXBOROUGH – Drake Maye was rolling on Monday.

The Patriots starting quarterback was quick and decisive with his reads and had no problem operating in small spaces during this red zone-heavy day. Maye was a perfect 8-for-8 during 7-on-7 drills. He started 8-of-11 in full-team drills.

Maye and his offensive unit were efficient.

Until they were not.

After starting Day 10 of training camp on a hot streak, Maye cooled down during the final three 11-on-11 periods. The quarterback and his offense were stymied by the Patriots starting defense, which was without starting cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis.

Maye finished 11-of-21 on the day as he endured a difficult stretch where he went 0-for-6 in full-team drills.

The Patriots held eight different full-team periods. The final three were the most competitive as the Patriots worked in the red zone.

Maye went 0-for-3 during a frustrating stretch where he had receiver Mack Hollins isolated on shorter cornerback Marcus Jones, but the pass took Hollins out of bounds. Next, he couldn’t connect with Stefon Diggs in the back corner of the end zone, and then Khyiris Tonga deflected Maye’s pass at the end of scrimmage. In the next period, Maye went 0-for-2, failing to connect with Kayshon Boutte and Rhamondre Stevenson.

The final 11-on-11 period saw the offense start at the 25-yard line with time expiring on the clock. Mike Vrabel had the offense start on first down and simulate an end-of-game situation.

Maye missed Hunter Henry to start this drive and ran on the next snap. Finally, he connected with Diggs, which marked his first completion in seven attempts. Maye attempted to connect with Kyle Williams on the next snap, but the pass was deflected by cornerback D.J. James.

After dumping off a pass to Stevenson, the Patriots were faced with a fourth-and-3. Vrabel simulated calling a timeout, giving the offense one last chance to get in the end zone.

That’s when Maye threw up a 16-yard dart to the right side of the end zone, and Boutte not only snatched the ball away from James but barely got both feet in bounds for the touchdown.

It was a nice way for Maye to end an inconsistent day at camp.

Here are the main takeaways from a jam-packed day in Foxborough:

TreVeyon Henderson shines

Rookie TreVeyon Henderson had his best day of training camp on Monday.

The second-round pick made multiple eye-opening plays and looks like he’ll be a weapon for the Patriots offense this season. Henderson finished the day with a team-high five catches in team drills.

The rookie finished with three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in this red zone-heavy day.

Henderson’s biggest moment came during the team’s second full-team period. This is where he caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Maye in the back left corner of the end zone. The running back, playing out wide, jumped up and over linebacker Christian Elliss for the score.

“Coach McDaniels has been doing a good job of giving all of us opportunities to get out in space, especially running backs,” Henderson said. “I’ve been definitely trying to grow and get better at that. It was a nice pass from Drake. Nice to come down with it. It was a good play.”

The Patriots rotated Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Antonio Gibson in their top lineup on Monday, but it was the rookie who made the most of his opportunities.

Henderson also started 11-on-11s with a touchdown from Maye. In the third period, he ran in another while also working with the starting offense. While working with Joshua Dobbs’ unit, Henderson caught three more passes, including Dobbs’ final touchdown pass on Monday.

Javon Baker highlights

Javon Baker had a slow start to the offseason, but the second-year receiver continues to stand out.

On Monday, Baker was the star of the offense during 7-on-7 drills as he caught three straight touchdowns from Dobbs in the first period. This included a highlight-reel catch where Baker jumped up and over Kobee Minor in the back left corner of the end zone.

Those types of catches have become more common for Baker this summer.

Baker had one catch in full-team drills. The receiver nearly had a touchdown, but cornerback Brandon Crossley hit the ball out of his hands.

Polk dominates 1-on-1

The Patriots receivers got the better of the defensive backs during Monday’s 1-on-1 drills. That wasn’t surprising since the group is without starters Gonzalez and Davis.

There was one surprise, however, as Ja’Lynn Polk dominated.

The second-year receiver, who got a late start to camp due to injury, was a perfect 4-0 on Monday. Polk beat Marcellus Dial twice, Crossley, and Isaiah Bolden during the competitive period to post the best record among Patriots receivers.

Diggs also had a good day, finishing 3-0. Kyle Williams and Baker went 2-0. Boutte finished 2-1, Efton Chism III went 2-1, DeMario Douglas went 1-1, and Mack Hollins went 1-1.

Chism gets up

The Patriots didn’t lack highlight plays on Monday.

Efton Chism III made a diving catch, jumping over Craig Woodson, for a fantastic touchdown from Josh Dobbs. This marked the undrafted rookie’s only catch during full-team drills, but it was one of the best of the day.

Dobbs finished 8-of-16 on the day and failed to connect with Chism two more times after that highlight-reel touchdown.

Campbell learns from White

When the pads are on, Keion White battles with Will Campbell every practice – and it hasn’t always been great for the rookie.

During the Patriots first day of pads, White knocked the Patriots No. 4 pick on his butt two times in what was viewed as a ‘Welcome to the NFL’ moment. On Monday, White explained how those moments haven’t derailed Campbell and instead have left him impressed with the rookie left tackle.

“The biggest thing for Will is his willingness to learn and ability to sometimes get beat, but not hold your head down,” White said. “A lot of times when you come in as a rookie, you’re going to lose reps. Everybody loses reps sometimes. Guys come in 5-stars, All-American, thinking they’re the best in the world. When they face adversity, sometimes they shut down.

“That’s something that Will doesn’t do. He asks the questions. He says, “OK, how can I not lose this rep?’ And he learns, and he comes back better. That’s the best thing you can do as a rookie. There’s going to be learning curves, there’s going to be challenges, but are you willing to put the work in to actually get better?”

White said that Campbell talked to him after that first padded practice and asked the pass rusher what he saw from his technique. The rookie was upfront about his training camp performance last week, saying not everything he did in college works in the NFL, and it’s in practice where he’s learning how to block NFL players.

“Trial by fire. The best way to learn how to not get ran through your face is by getting ran through your face,” White said. “If somebody can do that every play, then he’s going to learn how to not let that happen.”

Jared Wilson settles in

The Patriots offensive line was shuffled again on Monday due to multiple players dealing with injuries.

One constant, however, is the presence of rookie Jared Wilson in the Patriots starting lineup. The third-round pick, who played center at Georgia last fall, now looks like the Patriots starting left guard.

Cole Strange started the first five days of camp at this spot, but on Day 6, Wilson was the first player to lineup at left guard. That practice still saw him rotated in with Strange and Caedan Wallace.

The last four practices, however, have been completely different as Wilson has been with the starters for virtually every rep of full-team drills.

The third-round pick has also earned praise from Vrabel as well as his teammates.

“It’s a great thing – especially coming from Vrabel, a guy who’s played 14 years in this league,” Wilson said. “It’s a good thing to hear, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to come in and work every day. Still got to earn it. Still got to prove to your teammates that you’re worthy of it. That’s the exciting part.”

Wilson started camp as the backup center. When Garrett Bradbury went down with an injury, it was noteworthy that the Patriots opted to keep Wilson at center with Ben Brown filling in at center.

On Monday, Bradbury returned to practice, and once again, Wilson received every rep with the starting offense at left guard.

The Patriots were missing backups Wallace and Sidy Sow. That meant wholesale changes to the team’s backup offensive line. Day 10 of camp saw the second unit feature Demontray Jacobs (left tackle), Brown (left guard), Strange (center), Tyrese Robinson (right guard), and Marcus Bryant (right tackle).

This marked the first practice where Brown played left guard and Bryant played right tackle for the majority of practice.

When Moses, who’s been practicing on a pitch count, left practice early, Bryant was the starting right tackle for the Patriots. Before Monday, that spot belonged to Jacobs.

Mack Hollins is happy to be back

It’s hard to miss Mack Hollins on the football field.

The eccentric 6-foot-4 had been a regular at practice this offseason – usually on the field without shoes on – but only as a spectator. After starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list, Hollins returned to practice last week in a limited fashion.

On Monday, Hollins received more work, lining up with Maye’s starting offense. After practice, he said it was great to be back.

“I train my whole life to play football and not to watch it, so to be back out with the guys, it’s just a different energy,” Hollins said. “Even though I’m two feet difference from outside the line to inside the line, it’s a whole different perspective. I never take it for granted. I’m really excited to be back out there and continue to grow with the guys.”

Before practice, Vrabel praised Hollins’ ability to stay updated on the Patriots scheme while not practicing. He said it’s “rare for a player to be able to get that much information and not practice.”

The receiver’s ability to retain information while not practicing allowed him to come back and immediately get inserted into the starting offense.

Kicker battle intensifies

The Patriots have an intense kicker battle brewing.

On Monday, Andy Borregales and Parker Romo both went 4-of-4 from the mid-30s up to the mid-50s.

Borregales was fantastic this spring, but was 5-of-8 through two days of camp. Since then, however, he’s been a perfect 18-of-18. The rookie was 23-of-26 this summer.

Romo struggled this spring, but said he adjusted his alignment for training camp. That’s paid off as the veteran has yet to miss a kick this summer. Romo’s 25-of-25 in camp.

Attendance notes

Marcellus Dial went down with an apparent lower-body injury on Monday and was carted off the Patriots practice field.

The Patriots backup slot cornerback, drafted last year, first appeared to have injured his foot or ankle during a 7-on-7 play where he deflected a pass while covering Douglas. Dial stayed in but suffered the injury during 11-on-11 drills.

Team doctors appeared to be focused on Dial’s left leg before carting him into the facility.

… K’Lavon Chaisson missed his first practice of the summer on Monday. Also missing for the Patriots were Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Kendrick Bourne, Jahlani Tavai, Caedan Wallace, Sidy Sow, and Vederian Lowe (PUP list).