"He's played way better than I expected," said NFL Network's Kurt Warner.

Former quarterbacks turned analysts:

"If I were New England, I would be giddy," said ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, an 11-year NFL QB. "There's not a single thing about his game that you're concerned about right now. You're only encouraged."

The announcers who have called his games:

"I've seen incredible growth just in what he's done in the NFL," said Fox Sports' Mark Schlereth, who called Patriots-Titans three weeks ago.

"He's a hell of a talent," Rams starter Matthew Stafford said.

Maye's stats don't pop off the page. He's 1-4 in the five games he has started and finished -- he left the Jets win early with a concussion. Maye averaged 238 passing yards in those five games, with nine touchdown passes, six interceptions, and an 87.5 passer rating that ranks 26th.

But those stats hardly tell Maye's story. He has been an impressive dual threat, rushing for 260 yards and a touchdown and using his feet to create big plays in the passing game. Maye averages 9.3 yards per carry, and half of his 28 runs have gone for 10-plus yards. Both of those would break Michael Vick's quarterback records -- 8.5 yards per carry, 35 percent -- from 2006.

Maye was electric three weeks ago against the Titans, rushing for 95 yards on eight carries and willing the team to overtime with a last second-touchdown pass after a 12-second scramble.

He also makes great throws on the run, completes passes from several different arm angles, and brings a big-play element the Patriots haven't had since Tom Brady.

Maye is already drawing comparisons to Justin Herbert and Josh Allen.

"I just can't believe how good Drake Maye is," CBS analyst Ross Tucker said this week on WEEI. "They didn't even want to put him in the game like five weeks ago, and now he's the one carrying the team to competitiveness."

But most impressive has been Maye's development as a pocket passer. Even drafted No. 3 overall, he was supposed to be a project. Everyone knew Maye was a great athlete, but didn't know how quickly his game would translate to the NFL due to inconsistent footwork and a North Carolina offense that rarely put him under center. It's one reason why the Patriots sat him to start the year.

Maye's performance in training camp and in his brief relief stint in Week 3 did little to change that perception, but his progress during his six starts has been meteoric.

"All kinds of throws being made at the right moments," Orlovsky said. "He's playing fast, he's seeing it clearly, he's on time, he's making plays with his legs when needed, he's not running out of the pocket when he needs to. He is playing high-level ball."

Maye has played well despite facing the seventh-most pressure in the NFL (39 percent). He ranks 10th among quarterbacks in completion percentage over expectation (plus-2 percent) and plays with a poise that belies his youth.

"I thought last week was really impressive," Warner said. "Where I've been extremely impressed is, are you throwing it to the right guy? Are you getting it there in a timely fashion? Are you anticipating throws? And I've seen all of that from Drake."

Maye has shown immediate improvement with his footwork and mechanics, and in playing from under center.

"He's not sped up, his footwork looks smooth, and it ties well to the route combinations," Schlereth said. "I look at that stuff and think, 'Wow, this kid is way ahead of the game compared to what we heard coming out.' "

Maye also hasn't been bolting the pocket at the first sign of trouble, as many young quarterbacks do. Last week against the Rams, nine of the Patriots' 10 longest plays were passes.

"There were a couple times where we had free rushers, and we didn't get to him because the ball was coming out quick," said a member of the Rams. "And it wasn't just a three-step drop -- he was able to see it well and get rid of it well. He took off when he had to, but really just did a nice job of playing from the pocket. I felt like he really matured in that area."

All this is coming without much help. The Patriots don't have any established wide receivers, and at least one statistical study determined Maye has the worst offensive line of any rookie quarterback of the last 20 years.

"Young receivers, no one that changes the complexion on the outside. Scheme-wise, at times, the spacing is bad, and his reads are muffled because of it, and he's still doing all of this stuff and making good decisions and making plays," Warner said. "That's something that's really jumped off the page and has been really impressive."

While Washington's Jayden Daniels is the clear frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, Orlovsky said Maye is a close No. 2, and might be the leader if the Patriots had a few more wins.

"He's right there with those guys, and I would probably lean a little bit Drake because he's doing it with less," he said.

Maye needs to cut down on his turnovers -- nine, in five full games -- and he's going to make mistakes as he finishes out his rookie season. But already, he is looking like the real deal.

"The biggest thing that stands out to me is he's gotten better each game. There's a clear reason for optimism," the Rams official said. "I would feel confident if I were them that they got a really good piece to build around."