Patriots should not play Drake Maye as a rookie

Expectations for Drake Maye in year one: After picking a quarterback third overall in the NFL Draft, could the Patriots actually bench him for an entire season?

That, apparently, is the view of NFL analyst (and former quarterback) Dan Orlovsky, who presented the case for sitting Drake Maye during his rookie season in a Monday morning appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up!“

“My expectations are for Drake Maye not to play a meaningful snap this season,” Orlovsky explained. “One, Drake Maye’s thrown 1,000 balls in college over the last two seasons of football. He’s got a ton of football reps. Number two, this roster is not remotely close to being capable of supporting a rookie quarterback and easing his entrance into the NFL, let alone winning.”

New England added multiple wide receivers, and used the team’s first five picks on offense. Still, the Patriots will have plenty of questions (especially at offensive line).

The age-old debate over how to develop a rookie quarterback can range greatly. While there are examples of players who experienced success as rookies, players like Patrick Mahomes and Carson Palmer represent cases in which quarterbacks went on to thrive after not playing in their first seasons.

“I’d sit Drake Maye, allow him to develop,” Orlovsky said. “I would not want to ruin the tremendous physical talent that this young man has.”

Maye, 21, is seen by scouts as an incredibly gifted quarterback prospect. Yet as draft analysts—including Bill Belichick—noted, he is far from developed in terms of his ability to read coverages (along with several other issues).

Longtime ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. concurred with Orlovsky’s take, though he firmly endorsed the Patriots’ decision to select Maye (viewing it through the long-term perspective).

“No doubt about it. There’s no question they made the right move,” said Kiper. “This kid has enormous upside, enormous talent. He just needs to sit. He obviously needs to speed that delivery up, which is not a problem. He’s shown that.

“And I think they will improve the talent around him,” Kiper added, “that personnel base, which they did not do under the previous regime with Mac Jones.”

Trivia: April 29 is the anniversary of Roger Clemens setting a major league record with 20 strikeouts in a single game in 1986. Incredibly, Clemens would be the first to match his own feat, doing so a decade later.

Only two other pitchers have since totaled 20 strikeouts in a game. Can you name them?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: One did so for the Cubs, the other for the Nationals.

Scores and schedules:

On Sunday, the Red Sox defeated the Cubs 5-4 to take two out of three from Chicago. Boston faces the Giants at Fenway Park in another three-game set starting on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.

Tonight, the Celtics face the Heat in Miami in Game 4 of the two teams’ first-round playoff series. Boston leads 2-1, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Bruins host the Maple Leafs in Game 5 of their own playoff series at 7 p.m. Boston is on the brink of advancing, leading Toronto 3-1.

More from Boston.com:

Messi’s visit to Gillette Stadium: The Argentine legend traveled to play the Revolution on Saturday, with a club record 65,612 fans in attendance at Gillette Stadium.

And Messi didn’t disappoint, notching two goals and an assist, though it came at the local team’s expense in a 4-1 Inter Miami win over the Revolution.

On this day: In 2007, the Patriots traded for Randy Moss. It was a move that had historic implication, as Moss and Tom Brady would combine for a record-setting season the following year.

Initially, there was a degree of skepticism about Bill Belichick’s decision to acquire Moss, if only because it was such a departure from the previous roster decisions that the New England coach had constructed:

Yet as Belichick recently explained in a fascinating anecdote during his draft-day appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Moss was quickly all-in on the trade. The talented wideout instantly displayed a work-ethic that helped New England reach stratospheric heights in scoring.

Daily highlight: Anthony Edwards helped to close out the Timberwolves’ series win over the Suns with an emphatic dunk.

Trivia answer: Kerry Wood, Max Scherzer