2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Drake Maye

Prospect Summary:

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

Maye then played well overall as a redshirt sophomore, but did not have a prolific 2023 season and his numbers were down from 2022. He had some ugly moments in the games against South Carolina and Minnesota. On the year, Maye completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also had nine rushing touchdowns.

Maye is a pocket passer who can be lethal when he is given time. The most important attribute for any passer is accuracy, which Maye has. He throws the ball with excellent precision and ball placement. Utilizing natural loft and timing, Maye fits his passes into tight windows and is able to beat good coverage by being supremely accurate. He leads his receivers for more yards after the catch. Along with throwing receivers open, Maye throws passes with good loft and is able to give his wideouts a very catchable ball. In terms of arm strength, Maye has an arm capable of making all the throws for the NFL. He does not possess elite arm strength like a Josh Allen. Some sources have said that Maye’s arm strength is comparable to that of Joe Burrow, and others have said they think Maye’s arm is stronger than that. Regardless, Maye’s arm is solid and can get the job done.

Maye shows excellent accuracy over the middle of the field. However, his accuracy to the outside is not as good, and that is something he can work to improve. His accuracy also suffers when he throws off platform. Those are things he could improve upon with pro coaching, and it will be critical that Maye goes to a team with good quarterback coaching.

Along with being an accurate passer, Maye is very smart with the football. He reads the field well and is advanced in terms of his ability to work through progressions. Maye showed no issues with his field vision at North Carolina. Last year, there were times when defenses tried to trick him with switched coverage post-snap, but Maye sniffed it out and didn’t fall for the traps. He missed the blitz a few times in games against Virginia and Clemson, so learning and identifying blitzes is something for him to work on as a pro.

The one en vogue attribute that Maye does not have is serious running ability for the NFL. He is not a true running threat with speed and shiftiness in the field. That being said, Maye is not a complete statue in the pocket. He shows functional mobility to manipulate the pocket and avoid the pass rush. He can climb, slide, and move around enough to help his line. Maye also will take off and run on occasion, and he demonstrates good decision-making to 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.

For the NFL, some team sources said Maye needs to improve his footwork. Some sources stated his processing was shaky, but others said they thought he had no issues processing.

With the number of teams needing a true franchise quarterback, Maye should be a high first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If Maye lands in a good situation and works hard to get better, he has the ability and potential to be an effective NFL starter in the mold of Jared Goff.