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Drake Maye is suddenly all over the NFL map.
Maye may still be drafted early in the first round this April, but a few pro football pundits are debating how good he will be as a rookie and how long it will take him to become the so-called franchise quarterback.
The Carolina star has been projected as among the top three picks in the draft, and perhaps the second QB selected behind Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams. Now USA Today is speculating that Maye might fall out of the top ten and below J.J. McCarthy, the leader of Michigan’s national champions, in the quarterback-rich draft.
Anything can happen all the way up to the picks being announced by Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Maye is still the draftee of choice by New England with the third overall pick. Maye did not fully participate in the NFL combines, which is always a controversial position to take.
Every metric imaginable is used to rate the prospects, and the talk about Maye’s faulty footwork has been on the table for months now. Few teams question his arm strength and his 6-4 size, but some doubt his accuracy after his completion percentage dropped from his red-shirt freshman to his sophomore years.
Of course, those true analysts recognize that Maye lost top receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green between his first and second seasons. The fact is that Maye’s supporting cast in 2023 was rated among the worst for the top six college quarterbacks in the country, and he still threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns.
The mixed reviews on the Tar Heel hero have led some teams to consider trading up or down in order to get the quarterback they need. For example, the Minnesota Vikings are now in the news about the moves they could make to draft Drake.
Media in Minnesota are calling Maye an “athletic playmaker with A-plus arm talent and mobility who is a perfect fit for the Vikings,” who must think they have to trade up one of their two first-round picks for a chance to land him.
The fact that UNC alums Mitch Trubisky and Sam Howell have not established themselves as QBs to keep around the league may also be raising doubts about Maye, who is seen as having more natural talent and/or size.
Trubisky was the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft by the Bears but has been relegated to journeyman status with his three other teams since then. And Howell, once a first-round projection, became too much of a runner his junior year and thus fell to the first pick in the fifth round by Washington.
There are few sure-shot QBs coming out of college, even the biggest programs. The Panthers took Bryce Young of Alabama over C.J. Stroud of Ohio State by the Texans. Stroud led his team to the playoffs while the Panthers fired yet another coach.
Wherever Maye does get drafted, he will have to prove himself. But his combination of athletic ability, height and his bullet arm make him not one to bet against.
Featured image via Associated Press/John Bzemore
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.
