2024 NFL Draft Player Preview: Drake Maye

2024 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2024 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia Javon Bullard, CB, Georgia Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State Marvin Harrison, WR, Ohio State TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami Kalen King, CB, Penn State J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama Malachi Moore, S, Alabama Malik Nabers, WR, LSU Zion Nelson, OT, Miami Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois Rome Odunze, WR, Washington Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas Bralen Trice, DE, Washington Dallas Turner, LB, Alabama Jared Verse, DE, Florida State Caleb Williams, QB, USC Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

Drake Maye, 6-4/220 Quarterback North Carolina

Drake Maye 2024 Preview
By Charlie Campbell

Career Recap: Back when it had Sam Howell at quarterback, North Carolina fielded a high-powered offense that lit up the scoreboard, especially in the 2020 season. The Tar Heels didn’t miss a beat following Howell’s departure for NFL thanks to Maye. In fact in 2022, the redshirt freshman was an upgrade over Howell’s final season in Chapel Hill. Maye completed 66 percent of his passes in 2022 for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.



2023 Season Outlook: Maye has a schedule that does not present a lot of difficult matchups. The best opponents could be South Carolina in Week 1 and Clemson in the penultimate week of the regular season.

Skill-Set Summary: There are always NFL teams searching for a franchise quarterbackm and there should be plenty of teams that are desiring to select Maye in his draft class. Maye was one of the best quarterbacks in college football in 2022, looking like he could start in the pros immediately.

Maye is a dynamic pocket passer who is also accurate. He throws the ball with excellent precision and ball placement. Using natural loft and timing, Maye fits his passes into tight windows and is able to beat good coverage by being supremely accurate. Maye is an instinctive quarterback and leads his receivers for more yards after the catch. Along with throwing receivers open, Maye puts nice loft on his passes and is able to offer his wideouts a very catchable ball. Maye also has the arm strength to fire some lasers into tiny windows.



While Maye is willing to throw into tight windows, he is a good decision-maker overall. Maye takes calculated risks but is not careless with the football. His decision-making and field vision in 2022 were phenomenal for a first-year starter. Maye is able to work off his first read and can stand tall in the pocket to let his routes develop. Maye’s advancement is really extraordinary.

The one en vogue attribute that Maye lacks is serious running ability for the NFL. He is not a true running threat with speed and shiftiness in the open field. That being said, Maye is not a complete statue in the pocket. He has functional mobility to manipulate the pocket and avoid the pass rush. He can climb, slide, and throw on the run. Maye also will take off and run on occasion, and he is smart enough about when to do it that he can catch defenses by surprise. In the NFL, he won’t be a Lamar Jackson- or Josh Allen-type threat, but Maye will be able to help his offensive line by avoiding some rushers and pick up some first downs with his feet.

Maye has the look a pro starter capable of being a true franchise quarterback. If Maye stays consistent to his 2022 performance, he should be a high first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and have plenty of teams wanting him to be their quarterback of the future.



2024 NFL Draft Expectations: Entering the 2023 season, Maye looks like a potential high first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

2024 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2024 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia Javon Bullard, CB, Georgia Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State Marvin Harrison, WR, Ohio State TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami Kalen King, CB, Penn State J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama Malachi Moore, S, Alabama Malik Nabers, WR, LSU Zion Nelson, OT, Miami Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois Rome Odunze, WR, Washington Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas Bralen Trice, DE, Washington Dallas Turner, LB, Alabama Jared Verse, DE, Florida State Caleb Williams, QB, USC Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

RELATED LINKS:


2024 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s


2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings


2024 NFL Draft Player Previews








Fantasy Football Rankings - Aug. 9


2024 NFL Mock Draft - July 25


NFL Power Rankings - June 2


NFL Picks - Feb. 14