Drake Maye, the North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback, is likely to be taken early in the 2024 NFL Draft in April. But his real ranking in the top ten has been hotly contested among commentators. Bucky Brooks, a former Carolina Panthers scout, is one of several evaluators who believe Maye is a top-three talent at his position. While Maye, a Charlotte native and Myers Park High School alum, has been a popular target for the Washington Commanders with the second overall pick in early offseason mock drafts, Brooks, who worked as a regional college scout for Carolina from 2003 to 2007, has the North Carolina quarterback ranked third at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Brooks’ NFL.com list of the top five quarterback prospects in the 2024 class places Maye behind Caleb Williams of the University of Southern California and Jayden Daniels of Louisiana State University. “Maye is coming off a disappointing final campaign in Chapel Hill,” Brooks wrote in his review of the player, “but he commands plenty of attention in scouting circles due to his prototypical dimensions and exceptional arm talent.”
