FOXBORO – The New England Patriots wrapped up mandatory minicamp on Thursday, June 11, with one final practice before their summer break begins. And it was an action-packed session, with A.J. Brown making a highlight-reel catch while the defense dominated the team portion.
Here are the top takeaways from Day 3:
1. Practice ends early after Drake Maye takes a hit
Practice appeared to end early after edge rusher Bradyn Swinson accidentally knocked down Drake Maye. Before he was knocked down, Maye delivered a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown, but once the quarterback ended on the ground, Vrabel blew his whistle and gathered the players at midfield.
“Nobody should be on the ground in practice,” Brown said after practice. “That’s my rule. If anybody is on the ground, that’s a bad practice. It doesn’t matter who it is. Nobody should be on the ground. But he delivered a great pass, so I was excited. So I’m glad he’s okay.”
Maye walked away unharmed and stayed after to work with and throw to some of his wide receivers.
2. A.J. Brown makes catch of the day
It didn’t take long for Brown to make an impact on the field, delivering arguably the best play of mandatory minicamp when he looked to the left and delivered a pass to Brown from the 5-yard line.
With safety Craig Woodson in coverage, Brown was able to spin and snag the ball for the highlight-reel touchdown catch.
“I think Drake started on the right side, but he came back to me a little late, and he threw the ball as a back shoulder. It was a great ball, back shoulder,” the receiver said about the player after practice. “And I just kind of turned my head. Obviously, the DB doesn’t know where the ball is. And my background, you know, playing baseball in the center field, turning over the shoulder, looking over the shoulder, it’s a tough catch.
“I’m just glad I got my feet down.”
Brown ended the day with three receptions on five targets.
3. Christian Gonzalez was limited once again
After being a full participant during the slower practice on Wednesday, which appeared to be more of a walkthrough, Christian Gonzalez was limited once again during the team portion, not participating in the full speed 11-on-11s.
“I think that’s just something that Christian and I talked about,” head coach Mike Vrabel said when asked about his participation. “And making sure that the most important thing is that we’re on the same page, which we are.”
4. Elijah Ponder repping opposite Dre’Mont Jones with Harold Landry absent
With Harold Landry not taking part in all three of the practices, as well as second-round pick Gabe Jacas missing, it provided Elijah Ponder with an opportunity. During the team periods, he played opposite starting edge Dre’Mont Jones, making it clear that he has impressed, and the future is bright.
5. Caleb Lomu at guard
Caleb Lomu spent Tuesday and Wednesday switching between right and left tackle, but the final day saw an interesting development. At one point, the first-round pick repped at left guard next to Will Campbell and the rest of the starting offense. Marcus Bryant was at right tackle.
“He is getting a lot of reps. I love the versatility,” Vrabel said. “I think when you get a young player, their willingness to learn and just adapt and adjust… So, his flexibility and versatility has been something that I think has stood out. He learns quickly, usually doesn’t make the same mistake twice.”
6. Defense dominated during 11-on-11s
There were a lot of smiles on the field on Thursday, with the trash-talking between the defense and offense reaching a high in the best way. The competition was high as the offense worked in the red zone. But it was the defense that came away as the overall winners.
Maye finished the day going 10-for-20, which included seven touchdowns, with one of them being a rushing score. Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton both finished going 5-for-11.
7. Kayshon Boutte didn’t take part in team drills
On the first two days of practice, Kayshon Boutte was a full participant, including during the 11-on-11. However, he didn’t take any live reps during the final day.
8. Attendance
For the final day of mandatory minicamp, offensive tackle Morgan Moses did not participate, which was the same as the past two days, but what was different was that he made an appearance on the field. Along with that, it was edge defender Gabe Jacas and edge defender Harold Landry III who were also missing. But, the new absence was fullback/tight end Jack Westover.
Patriots training camp is set to open Saturday, July 25 and runs through Aug. 20, when the Patriots will hold a joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 8 takeaways from Day 3 of mandatory minicamp
