A lot of experts ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft think Drake Maye will be, or has a good chance to be, a very productive quarterback at the pro level.
The former University of North Carolina star is consistently rated as the No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback in the 2024 class, and it’s hard to find a mock draft where he doesn’t land inside the top three picks.
Maye has the physical tools scouts love. He’s 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds with a rocket arm. He has pretty good athleticism and can throw on the run. His stats in 2023 weren’t as impressive as they were in 2022, but last season was difficult for the Tar Heels when you consider they had a new offensive coordinator and No. 1 wide receiver Devontez Walker missed the first four games.
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Not everyone is high on Maye, though. In fact, former NFL player Merril Hoge, who the current generation of fans probably know best from his days on ESPN’s NFL Matchup show from 1998 to 2016, is not a fan of Maye at all.
Hoge gave a scathing critique of Maye during a recent radio interview with WCCO’s Henry Lake.
“Drake Maye is the kind of player that will get you fired,” Hodge said. “Especially if you draft him in the top five or top three, he’s going to get you fired.”
“(Malik) Willis might be the only guy that I can think of that is as erratic as Maye. I’ve studied him for two years. His best game, and I watched every one of his games last year, was probably the Pittsburgh game, and that was an average football game. His last game against North Carolina State was the most embarrassing display I’ve seen from a guy who is supposed to be an elite franchise quarterback. When you talk about accuracy, it is erratic everywhere.”
