The 2024 NFL Draft has sparked a QB controversy on a national scale, pitting North Carolina’s Drake Maye against USC’s Caleb Williams. But if you talk to Maye himself, that controversy isn’t there on the ground level.
Drake Maye Rooting for Caleb Williams, Despite Perceived Competition
Since the very start of the 2024 NFL Draft cycle, there’s been a fierce debate over who the QB1 of the class is.
Many have Williams as the top passer in the group by virtue of his elite creation capacity and playmaking instincts. Others, such as myself, give Maye the nod for his balance of talent and operational utility.
Both signal callers have strong arguments to take home the top spot, and that’s led to fierce debate at times. But Maye himself doesn’t have any stock in those debates. In fact, he has nothing but good things to say about Williams and is hopeful that his NFL Draft counterpart will succeed.
At the NFL Combine, during media interviews, Maye was asked about his relationship with Williams, having been in the same 2021 recruiting class as the Trojans product.
“Yeah, I’ve followed him,” Maye said of Williams. “Pac-12 after dark is always on late after my game. I got to know [Caleb] throughout high school, being in the same class. I’m rooting for him. Such a great guy. Got to see him here again.”
“Sometimes you see quarterbacks across the country pulling against one another, and I don’t think that’s right. You can pull for guys, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed being around Caleb.”
The 2024 NFL Draft process can be grueling, and competition can compound the issue. Nevertheless, for Maye, there’s no distinct competition with Williams. Both QBs are on the same path and will do what they can to assist the other.
On the field, however, Maye says that may change. Once he’s drafted to the NFL, the focus will shift to winning, as it always does.
“Oh, always,” Maye exclaimed when asked if there will be competition between him and Williams at the NFL level. “When it gets in-between the lines, it’s a different story. But out here, you’re always rooting for them, checking in on them, asking how they’re doing.”
Right now, the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders are the favorites to land either Maye or Williams, and teams like the New England Patriots, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and Denver Broncos are orbiting that conversation.
KEEP READING: 2024 NFL Combine Results
In time, we’ll know where Maye and Williams will land. But until the 2024 NFL Draft hits in late April, Maye is doing his part to help his fellow 2021 recruit along the way.
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