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How about Drake Maye and Tez Walker back together?
Carolina’s spring game is Saturday afternoon in Kenan Stadium, where a brand-new quarterback and another who has barely played will be throwing to a mostly green wide receiving corps.
But somehow the 2024 season won’t officially be upon us until the NFL Draft the following Thursday, where there are several options surrounding the Tar Heels’ last quarterback and one of his best receivers.
If the pundits are right, Caleb Williams will be drafted No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bears, who have moved on from UNC’s Mitch Trubisky in 2017 and Ohio State’s Justin Fields in 2021. Da Bears think that Williams from Southern Cal by way of Oklahoma is their answer.
After that, it is fish in a barrel between Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU, national champion J.J. McCarthy from Michigan and Carolina’s Maye, who has no banners but a bunch of individual records.
Maye has gone from the biggest, best athlete and strongest arm in the draft to someone who one writer guaranteed will get the coach fired by the team that drafts Drake. Yes, Maye must improve footwork, but rookies are rarely ready.
If Washington picks Maye over Daniels, the Commanders have a position open right away after they traded returning starter and Drake’s BFF Sam Howell to Seattle. It might have been sticky if the two Heels were fighting it out.
Washington avoids that scenario of Howell the teacher and Maye the pupil. But most draft experts think the Commanders will take Daniels, who they say is better prepared for the option game of new head coach Dan Quinn.
At this point, it is not set. Most pickers say New England will take Maye No. 3 and give him a shot to beat out veteran Jacoby Brissett from N.C. State as the Patriots move on from the Super era of Bill Belichick to Jerod Mayo.
And guess who is on the board as Pats’ second or third pick but Tez Walker, whose controversial eight-game final season of his college career ended with both he and Maye sitting out the bowl game to get ready for the draft.
Walker has his critics, as well, saying his speed is great but his moves are not crisp enough for the NFL. Let’s see what happens, and then Go Heels!
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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