By Matt Stuart | Published | No Comments
QB – Drake Maye | North Carolina Tar heels 
Class:
Sophomore
Birthplace:
Huntersville, NC
Height:
6’4″
Weight:
230 lbs.2023 STATS
(Passing) 3,608 yards | 24 TD | 9 INT | 63.3% COMP.
(Rushing) 112 carries | 449 yards | 9 TDPROS – Elite arm talent and great composure in the pocket. Has above average mobility and can extend plays with his legs. Prototypical size for the position. Oozes toughness and leadership. CONS – Some issues with accuracy, particularly on deeper throws down the field. Holds onto the ball a bit too long. Has some issues working quickly through his progressions. Has a slight tendency to get stuck on his first read when opposing defenses bring pressure.
Drake Maye is my second highest graded quarterback in the class. When Maye has time to throw and good players around him there may not be a better a quarterback in the class. Maye’s numbers fell off a bit this year, as the Tar heels were not quite as deep at the pass catching position as they were a season ago. Still, Maye showed why he is a top generational prospect at the position. He can just make throws, particularly off platform throws, that other quarterbacks simply cannot make.
When Drake is at his best he is well composed in the pocket and sees the field very well. There are a few issues that he needs to cleanup as he heads to the NFL, but he is any easy round one prospect that will come off the board quickly on day one.
Maye probably has the best arm in the class. It is generational arm talent to say the least. Maye can easily burn defenses who play a soft zone coverage, especially if they dare challenge him with just one safety high look. Maye also has excellent touch on softer throws where a little more air is called for, something that can be rare for gunslinger types.
Simply put, any route on the tree, Maye can make the throw. That will open up the playbook for the offensive coordinator that gets Maye at the next level.
Maye’s footwork is clean for the most part. There is a slight hitch at the top of his drop back and some tendency to get a little happy with his feet, but nothing that would be a red flag or can’t be cleaned up at the next level. Maye’s throwing motion is solid, though he does have a slight tendency to throw too often off platform and off his back foot. This is not a huge issue for Maye because of his strong arm, but it is definitely something that he will need to work on at the next level. Still though, to be clear, this is mostly just nitpicking here. Nothing that shows up on his tape would cause alarm.
Maye’s vision is strong over the middle of the field, aided by his height. Maye sees all areas of the field well and does a good job going through his progressions, while remaining calm and composed in the pocket. Accuracy issues are a slight problem, as Maye has the tendency to lead his receivers a bit too much. It should be noted that Maye arguably had the weakest set of pass catchers of the quarterbacks in this class and one would be wise to assume that his accuracy numbers should improve at the next level if he is surrounded by better talent.
Maye has above average mobility, especially for someone of his size. He does an excellent job at extending plays and his escapability as the pocket is collapsing is excellent. Maye is not going to necessarily be a quarterback that you are going to scheme a lot of designed runs around, but he can easily get you a first down if he does need to pull it down and run.
Maye has prototypical size, both height and weight for the position. He is big and physical and uses his size to suit his style of play. One of the things that jumps off the tape when you watch Maye play, is his toughness. Maye is not afraid to take a hit or deliver one. He is certainly not afraid to challenge a linebacker with the ball. Maye took some brutal hits behind a shaky offensive line, especially this season, and he never became rattled. In fact, Maye might just be at his best when he takes an early hit or two. Maye reminds me a lot of Josh Allen. He will not shy away from contact when he is the ball carrier, and he has no qualms about hanging in the pocket to take a huge hit. Maye plays the quarterback position like an old school gunslinger and he makes no apologies about his style of play.
As I mentioned before Maye is an unapologetic gunslinger. It’s just how he plays the game. Maye is going to take his shots down the field, even if an underneath throw or a check down might be the safer play. Teams looking at drafting Maye will have to understand this going in. This is not to say that Maye plays the game recklessly, but he will test the limits of that fine line.
Maye also has a tendency to get stuck a little too often on his first read when he sees pressure, and he will need to work on speeding up that process a little at the next level.
Maye will need to improve on some accuracy issues and work more underneath at the next level than he is use to doing at the college level. Some minor footwork issues not withstanding, Maye is an exceptionally talented prospect and in any other draft class he would probably be the unanimous choice to go number one, not only at the quarterback position, but perhaps overall. But of course this is a loaded draft class, particularly at the quarterback position. Still, I expect Maye to be the second quarterback to come off the board. Maye should be on every team’s board if they are looking for a potential franchise quarterback.
