North Carolina’s Drake Maye is a consensus top-four quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft and is expected to be drafted in the top three. Let’s explore Maye’s history and examine his path to the NFL.
Where Did Drake Maye’s Football Career Start?
All of Maye’s football playing days have occurred in his home state of North Carolina. Maye attended William A. Hough High School for a year before transferring to Myers Park High School as a sophomore.
As is the case with many of the top NFL prospects, they were really good in high school. Maye was named MaxPreps’ North Carolina player of the year.
A four-star prospect, Maye received offers from 16 schools. After initially committing to Alabama, Maye changed his mind and enrolled in North Carolina.
Revisiting Maye’s College Career
As a freshman, Maye was third on the Tar Heels’ depth chart, and Sam Howell was the starter at the time. Appearing in only four games, Maye redshirted, retaining eligibility for four more years.
After Howell entered the 2022 NFL Draft, Maye competed with Jacolby Criswell for the starting job. Given how close the competition was, Maye’s leash was likely short entering his first year as the starter. Any struggles and the team might have turned to Criswell. Suffice it to say, that quickly became a nonissue.
Drake Maye is out there throwing darts today 🎯
The #TarHeels QB added a rushing touchdown at the end of this drive to give UNC a two-score lead.
Kid is legit 🔥
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 3, 2022
Maye started 14 games, throwing for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He broke Howell’s single-season passing touchdown record, as well as Mitch Trubisky’s single-season passing yards record.
In his junior year (redshirt sophomore), Maye’s prolific performance continued, playing in 12 games and throwing for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
While far from a rushing quarterback, Maye displayed quality rushing ability. He ran the ball 302 times for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns in his three years at North Carolina. As is the case with most modern NFL QB prospects, they don’t have to be Lamar Jackson, but they do need a base level of mobility, and Maye clearly has that.
Maye’s Potential In the NFL
Everyone knows Caleb Williams is going No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears. But if Ian Cummings had any say in the matter, it would be Maye.
“Drake Maye is my QB1 in the 2024 NFL Draft and a top-three prospect along with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Caleb Williams. It’s close between him and Williams for QB1, but Maye arguably has the best balance of physical talent and operational utility.”
Cummings went on to compare Maye to Justin Herbert stylistically and put him in the same bucket as guys like Joe Burrow and C.J. Stroud as prospects.
“Maye bears some similarity to former Oregon Ducks and current Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert. He’s a QB who doesn’t always rely on his athleticism stylistically but has the high-end overarching tools to be a passer who elevates his squad and creates off-script while also operating at a high level within the offensive structure.
“Maye has all of the qualities of a franchise QB. But not only that, he’s one of the best QB prospects to come out over the past few cycles, rivaling names like Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, and C.J. Stroud. He should be in the mix for No. 1 overall — and he’d be my pick.”
MORE: Ian Cummings’ Full Scouting Report of Drake Maye
Maye is widely expected not to get past No. 3 overall. Wherever he lands, he is undoubtedly going to start right away. Herbert has his fair share of critics, most notably for his inability to win consistently, but if Maye turns into a Herbert clone, he will be his team’s franchise QB for the next 15 years.
There’s certainly a chance Maye flops. The only two QB prospects in history that were absolutely can’t miss were Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. Maye is not quite on that level, but his upside is right there with the best of them. No one should be surprised if we’re talking about Maye in the same breath as Burrow or Stroud in 2-3 years’ time.
Highlights, Records, and More
In his first season as a starter, Maye had two games with five touchdown passes against no interceptions. It was, by far, his most prolific season as quarterback of the Tar Heels.
As mentioned above, Maye broke records for single-season passing yards and touchdowns set by Trubisky and Howell. He was also the ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC in 2022. In 2023, while still a good quarterback, Maye was only second-team All-ACC.
Maye heads to the NFL as a bit of a polarizing prospect. The physical tools are all there, but some pundits don’t see him as a high-end NFL starter. Most notably, Merril Hoge called Maye the type of pick that “will get you fired,” referring to general managers.
Nevertheless, there’s no doubt Maye will be highly drafted and enter the NFL with lofty expectations. Whether he lives up to them, only time will tell.
KEEP READING: Top QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Draft with your friends today! PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator now supports multiple drafters during the same draft! Ensure your player rankings are up to date on the 2024 NFL Draft Big Board and you know what every NFL team needs before drafting.
