Drake Maye NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for UNC QB
HEIGHT: 6'4"
WEIGHT: 223
HAND: 9⅛"
ARM: 32¼"
WINGSPAN: 76⅛"
40-YARD DASH:
3-CONE:
SHUTTLE:
VERTICAL:
BROAD:
POSITIVES
— Good athletic ability. Quick for his size, good speed to threaten defenses as a scrambler and designed runner.
— Very good arm strength. Throws with tons of velocity outside the numbers and down the field.
— Great ability to throw off-platform and under pressure. Can rip it when the pocket is cluttered or when he's on the move.
— Great accuracy. Throws well to all three levels and shows flashes of special touch.
— Above-average ability to operate within structure. Plays on time and knows how to get to the checkdown.
NEGATIVES
— Tendency to make bad plays worse. Will run into bad sacks or throw head-scratching interceptions trying to save a play.
— Can struggle to come off his pre-snap read when the picture changes on him post-snap.
2023 STATISTICS
— 12 G, 269-425 (63.3%), 3,608 YDS, 8.5 Y/A, 24 TD, 9 INT, 149.0 RTG; 112 ATT, 449 YDS (4.0 AVG), 9 TD
NOTES
— Born Aug. 30, 2002
— 5-star recruit in 2021 class, per 247Sports
— Two-year starter
— 2022 first-team All-ACC, 2022 ACC Offensive Player of the Year
OVERALL
Drake Maye is the prototypical quarterback prospect. Size, speed, arm strength; he's got all the tools you look for in a franchise quarterback.
Maye's arm talent is the core of his game. He can throw a 100 mph fastball into a tight window over the middle or outside the numbers. Maye can also throttle down and put throws where only his receiver can go get it, as well as creating smooth yards-after-the-catch transitions for his receivers on underneath routes. He possesses every club in the bag.
Maye can do all of that off-platform, too. He has no issue throwing without a proper base under him or when he's falling away from pressure. Likewise, Maye can really spin it when he's on the move, both on rollouts and when scrambling.
Maye is also a good athlete. He isn't a special runner, but he's at least in the same tier of rushing ability as New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Designed runs are on the table with him, and he has a little bit of juice as a scrambler.
When it comes to processing, Maye is more good than bad, but he's not perfect. Maye does well to execute UNC's relatively simple offense. He excels at playing on time, adhering to the structure of the play, and progressing all the way to his checkdowns if need be.
However, Maye does have moments where he doesn't see or react to post-snap movement. In particular, late safety rotations don't always trigger the response out of him that you'd like to see.
Maye also has a little bit of Superman Syndrome. There are two or three plays a game where things break down and Maye feels the need to do something outrageous to salvage the play, rather than just move onto the next play or series. You don't want Maye to lose his edge, but some of those plays must be cut out.
Overall, Maye is a supremely talented passer. He has the athleticism, arm talent and baseline processing skills to become a weapon at the next level. All he needs to do is cut out some of the "doing too much" plays. Maye has the skill set to fit in any system and develop into a star.
GRADE: 9.3 (Top-10 player)
OVERALL RANK: 3
POSITION RANK: QB1
PRO COMPARISON: Justin Herbert
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen
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