FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Drake Maye stood outside the New England Patriots locker room before a late-November practice, pondering what makes a great leader.
Then, after a 20-second pause, he came up with an answer that put him back on the campus of Nicholls State University at the Manning Passing Academy in 2023.
The quarterback attended the camp and watched Peyton and Eli Manning closely. Maye liked the unassuming way the Mannings handled themselves despite their decorated resumes, and how genuinely invested they seemed to be in everyone's lives.
It was some of the most exemplary leadership he's been around -- paired with the lifelong influence of his father, Mark, whom he describes as "one of the most humble guys I know.