Drake Maye ranked Touchdown Wire’s fourth-best available QB in NFL Draft
I feel pretty confident saying that quarterbacks will be taken with the first four picks in Thursday’s NFL Draft.
Several teams are in need of their franchise guy. Some teams have addressed that need through free agency (Atlanta Falcons with Kirk Cousins), while others are relying on the loaded 2024 QB class.
Outside of Caleb Williams going first overall to the Chicago Bears, there’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding which quarterbacks will go where. This uncertainty has increased the closer we’ve gotten to Draft Day, thanks to possible trades and more evaluations of top prospects.
Drake Maye, the former North Carolina Tar Heels gunslinger, is projected anywhere from second-fifth overall.
According to the Touchdown Wire’s Top-8 NFL Draft quarterback rankings, though, Maye is the fourth-best available QB.
“Drake Maye was a four-star recruit out of Myers Park High School in Huntersville, North Carolina, and he eventually chose the option to stay close to home over offers from multiple major programs,” Doug Farrar wrote. “He first committed to Alabama, but when Bryce Young also committed to Alabama, North Carolina head coach Mack Brown swept in and scooped Maye up — even enlisting Michael Jordan in the recruiting process.”
“Maye is projected by many to be either the first or second quarterback selected in the 2024 draft, and the athletic potential is off the charts. In his third season as the Tar Heels’ starter, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Maye completed 269 passes in 425 attempts for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 100.2. As a runner, Maye gained 582 yards and scored nine touchdowns on 41 attempts. On throws of 20 or more air yards, he completed 40 of 85 passes for 1,452 yards, 13 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 113.4. When pressured, Maye completed 39 of 90 passes for 606 yards, seven touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 69.0.”
Touchdown Wire lists Maye’s strengths as not automatically running under pressure, the ability to make tight window throws with his arm talent, plus an ability to make accurate off-platform throws. His weaknesses are listed as forcing the ball on easy throws and inconsistent mechanics.
The same article also compares Maye to Ryan Tannehill, who’s started several years for the Miami Dolphins and, more recently, the Tennessee Titans.
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