We are excited about our draft coverage here at FFSN this year, as we are adding something new to the fold. Between now and the NFL Draft, I will be writing individual player profiles on many of this year’s top prospects. Today, we continue the series with North Carolina QB Drake Maye.

Each of these breakdowns will include a brief background on the player, an in-depth scouting report, and a projection as to where he is likely to be selected in the NFL Draft. All of these articles can be found on our main FFSN NFL feed. Be sure to share these breakdowns with your fellow draft buddies on social media!

Bio and Profile

Universally rated as a four-star prospect and one of the best prospects in the state of North Carolina, Maye opted to remain in-state and take his game to the University of North Carolina. Maye was named the ACC Player of the Year in 2022, after having completed over 66% of his passes, throwing for over 4,300 yards, and recording 45 all-purpose touchdowns. Despite posting more modest stats in 2023, he heads into draft season as a projected top-five pick.

Scouting Report

Going back at my 2020 synopsis on Justin Herbert, I see a lot of similarities in Drake Maye. My grade on Maye is significantly higher than my grade on Herbert coming out of Oregon, primarily because I believe Maye did more to elevate the play of players around him at North Carolina than Herbert did at Oregon. The downside with Maye is that he did not play well against quality competition. He has the size, the arm, and the athleticism to be a top-tier quarterback in the NFL, but he did not have any “wow” games in 2023. He made a good amount of NFL-level throws, whether it be short, intermediate, or deep. However, those throws did not usually come all at once, as they were scattered all throughout his tape without much consistency.

In many regards, Maye looked better in 2022, although having Josh Downs likely contributed to his success. Being consistent with ball placement is a fixable issue for a quarterback, but that issue alone may be enough to keep Maye from being taken ahead of Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. I expect Maye to be a strong starting quarterback in the NFL, but, just like Justin Herbert, being clutch in big moments is something that may give NFL teams second thoughts about taking him.

Draft Projection

I could see Drake Maye going as high as Pick 2, but it seems as if his stock is trending in the wrong direction. From what I am hearing, NFL teams love his professionalism and charisma in their interviews with him, but the dual-threat ability of Jayden Daniels and creativity of Caleb Williams may be too intriguing for teams to forego in favor of Maye. I could even see a team falling in love with J.J. McCarthy’s toughness and athleticism and taking him ahead of Maye. That may sound a bit outlandish at the time of this writing, but by the time we get to draft day, I believe we could very well be discussing whether or not J.J. McCarthy goes ahead of Drake Maye.