Walking Tall: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

One thing was clear at the start of the 2023 season, University of North Carolina quarterback (QB) Drake Maye was one of the best in the country.

My initial evaluation was aptly named “Prove It.” It was to the point that sometimes you see a prospect, and you know that you need to see more.

Now, over two seasons as the starting QB at North Carolina, I have seen a ton of Maye.

One thing that I realized this season is that almost every elite QB has at least one elite skill position player by his side.

Losing wide receiver (WR) Josh Downs (North Carolina) was huge for Maye. Downs was my top receiver in last year’s draft (Colts: No. 79).

No receiver took the torch and ran with it after Downs left.

Background

At six-foot-four-inches and 230 pounds, Maye has that ‘prototypical’ size teams look for in a QB.

Looking at his stats over the past two seasons:

• 2023: 269 of 425 (63.3%) 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions
• 2022: 342 of 517 (66.2 %) 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions

Maye’s numbers on the ground rushing ⎯similar in the past two seasons. Running isn’t just a hobby for Maye either. He does it somewhat often.

• 2023: 112 carries for 449 yards (4.0-yard average) and nine touchdowns
• 2022 184 carries for 698 yards (3.8-yard average) and seven touchdowns

Flashing back to 2022, Maye had a fantastic debut season that included honors:

Player of the Year (ACC)

Offensive Player of the Year (ACC)

Rookie of the Year (ACC)

First-team All-ACC

The problem with such a great beginning is that the boss will come to expect this every day, and in this case, we are talking about a QB, and it’s regardless if there’s an elite player by his side or not…

That’s the expectation.

The Yanish Report

Big, tough prototypical QB. Strong base with excellent feet. Great flow. Stands tall in the face of pressure. Climbs the pocket well. Deceptive mobility with good lateral movement. Will hurt you with his feet. Slide, slide, slide (he needs to do this more)! Rocket launcher right arm. Gunslinger. Changes arm angles on call. Makes awe-struck passes look easy. Can hit any throw on the field. Plagued by drops. Consistency matters. Still learning the position. Old school QB with new-age qualities. Competitive. Natural leader. Righteous.

For the win

This QB class is a simple equation. How it shook out at the end took some twists and turns, though. Let me be clear about this.

Maye is the QB1 of this class and will be the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Whether he is the first QB taken (or not) depends on how teams view him.

There is the question of finding the right team that fits him best.

Some teams seem better at developing QBs than others (that’s just an observation based on what’s happened). There’s also the other side of the coin ⎯it could be best to not be the top QB selected. There are all sorts of challenges that go along with that No. 1 selection. It may work out that he ends up in an even better situation because the playoff teams pick 18-32 and the closer it gets to that range, the logic is, the better the support structure (especially for QBs). In other words, those teams won more last season.

Many out there have come forward stating their belief that USC QB Caleb Williams and Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels (LSU) are better, but in the end, they will be proven wrong.

It’s not even close.

My BIG three questions

1. Can he slow down trying to do so much and let the game come to him?

2. Will he land on a team with a good supporting cast and true top-rated wide receiver?

3. Down the road, will he be recognized as the best QB of the class?

My 2024 NFL Draft Value: First-Round (Top-5)

2023 Game film evidence North Carolina (No. 10)

South Carolina

Appalachian State

University of Minnesota

Miami

Clemson

William Yanish III is a lifelong football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.