North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is an elite prospect who's expected to be drafted within the first three picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. So color me surprised when NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein proclaimed that Maye could slide down the board on Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks' Move the Sticks podcast, according to an NFL evaluator. Zierlien is reporting information he heard from an NFL source.
Said evaluator allegedly compared Maye's potential fall to Will Levis, another once-perceived first-round quarterback who slid to the second round. It's officially smokescreen season. Zierlein did the right thing by reporting information relayed to him, but I'd ultimately be stunned if it came to fruition.
Maye shouldn't escape the first three picks. The three franchises that own the three opening selections are expected to enter the market for new starting quarterbacks. The Washington Commanders (No. 2 overall) and New England Patriots (No. 3) are no-brainers given their current situations, and the league-wide belief is that the Chicago Bears will select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the top selection as they prepare to trade Justin Fields to a QB-needy team.
If Williams to the Bears proves accurate, let’s analyze the next two teams. I don’t believe the Commanders hired a new general manager in Adam Peters to stick the course with Sam Howell. Did highly-coveted offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury end his pro sabbatical to work with the current quarterback room in Washington? Highly doubtful. New head coach Dan Quinn has also been choosy over his next coaching stop. In Washington, Quin sees an opportunity to get his quarterback of the future.
The Patriots are in a similar position. New head coach Jerod Mayo was named Bill Belichick's successor. If Mayo plans on sticking around as long as Belichick did (lofty, we know), he won't achieve it by tying his fate to Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, or some mid-tier quarterback in free agency. No, the Patriots have to draft a new quarterback of the future after getting the Jones decision so terribly wrong.
LSU's Jayden Daniels is a top-tier quarterback prospect that should garner consideration from all three QB-needy teams. Daniels would be a great fit in New England if the Commanders take Maye, or vice versa. There's currently no tangible reason why the Commanders and Patriots would both pass on Maye, even if one or both value Williams and Daniels ahead of him.
Maye possesses the arm strength necessary to test tight throwing windows at all three levels of the field. Whichever offensive coordinator is fortunate enough to land Maye as his quarterback will feel comfortable accessing their entire playbook. Maye is an athletic quarterback prospect with the off-schedule skill set required to thrive in chaos. He’s today’s quarterback. Across two dominant seasons as North Carolina's starter, Maye threw for 7,929 yards and 62 touchdowns versus just 16 interceptions. A dual-threat playmaker, Maye added 16 rushing touchdowns to his offensive totals.
The 2024 NFL Draft will be unpredictable in spurts. Nothing outside the realm of the expected should transpire with Maye's pre-draft stock, however. Maye should be quarterbacking the Commanders or Patriots next season.