Drake Maye Giving Tom Brady Vibes

Now that’s a Drake Maye headline, but it’s only because he’s one heck of a quarterback (QB) for North Carolina.

Tom Brady?

That’s the name that went through my mind while evaluating Maye on his 2022 game film as a redshirt freshman. Of course, Brady is the 7x Super Bowl winning legendary QB.

I’m not saying Maye is Brady 2.0, but there is a lot about Maye that reminds me of Brady.

Who am I to even utter these words?

Well…once upon a time I looked the man who drafted Brady in the eyes and convinced him to hire me at the Jets.

60 Minutes

This is my affectionate nickname for Maye.

I’m nicknaming him after the long running CBS show that has aired every Sunday for as long as I can remember.

60 Minutes is as consistent as it is methodical.

This perfectly describes the North Carolina QB.

Game in and game out, Maye is the same. You always know what to expect from Maye.

Command

I want to circle back to Maye being a redshirt freshman last year.

The command of the offensive personnel Maye showed was astonishing at his age.

It’s was that same type of Brady command.

NFL translation

Being great as a college QB is one thing.

…but how can we know for sure if that will successfully translate to the NFL?

That’s the number one question I ask myself when I’m evaluating a college prospect – – does what I’m watching translate to what I’ve seen succeed in the NFL?

For starters, Maye fits the league’s timeline of dual-role QBs.

Yes, he additionally has demonstrated good enough wheels defenses have to respect.

There are several other key predictors:

– Going through progressions?

– Downfield ball placement on point?

– High rate of ball security (minimal defended passes)?

Maye checks the first two boxes.

He can be seen scanning the field moving his head prior to throwing, and his downfield ball placement JUMPED OFF THE SCREEN.

What’s scary is how accurate Maye was on the move rolling left or right.

He threw only six “bad passes” in the eight games I evaluated, but to keep this balanced, defenders got a hand on too many other passes (18).

That has to get cleaned up.

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…

No, it’s “60 Minutes” throwing the football and he is stretching the field.

This is not one of these QBs who nickels and dimes defenses to death.

Echoing the words of former Volunteers’ and current Lions’ QB Hendon Hooker, Maye is making grown-man throws.

Tough to defend against

Not only is he stretching out the field, but he’s spreading the ball around at every route level.

Maye sees the field well and throws accurately inside and outside the numbers.

The one thing he needs to guard against is leaning too much on his favorite routes defenses sometimes anticipate too well.

#10 Drake Maye 6-foot-4, 220 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Spring 2023 Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 92.3% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of May 5, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed: Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Pitt, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida A&M, Appalachian State and Miami

2022 stats: 342/517 (66.2%), 4321 yards, 38 TD, 7 INT, 80-long

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Athletic pro-ready franchise prospect with a strong arm and uncanny accuracy. High football IQ. Leads with a smooth and relaxed pace. Somewhat mechanical ball handling. Excellent pocket instincts. Decent ability to elude pass rush. Doesn’t hit the panic button under pressure. Can bail and roll out or climb the pocket while remaining focused downfield. Relatively quick decisions. Throws an easy ball to catch at the short, intermediate and deep route levels. Can make every throw. Ball tends to sail high or plain overthrows on misses. Runs often and runs like he means it. Can juke a defender. Inconsistent protecting his body when running.

What to watch for during the 2023 College Football Season

1. Cut down on defended passes?

2. Can he duplicate 2022 production?

3. Better job protecting his body when he runs (sliding and running out of bounds)?

4. Quicker release (got hit too many times when throwing in 2022)?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.