By CJ Carlson
UNC Quarterback Drake Maye Declares For The NFL Draft
Drake Maye is entering the NFL draft, and he’s already projected to be a very high pick in the first round. The UNC quarterback will be forgoing one more season of eligibility to pursue his dreams of playing professional football, and he does so at a great time.
Maye was a redshirt sophomore for the Tar Heels but really turned everything around in 2022. The first season that he won the starting job, he threw for 4,321 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Not to mention that he rushed for 698 yards and seven more touchdowns on the ground. This season, his numbers took a small step backwards, but it hasn’t really affected his draft stock dramatically. He still threw for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. While also rushing for 449 yards and nine more touchdowns.
Drake Maye Has Immense Potential
One pro comparison that’s really started to stick around is him and Justin Herbert. The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback has a big arm, the ability to bounce off tackles due to his larger frame and throw on the move with ease. Those are all things that Maye seemingly has the ability to do at a high level. And there are certainly teams in the top three of this year’s draft that would die for a quarterback with these talents. The New England Patriots are the first ones that come to mind.
Early projections have him being taken off the board within the first three picks, but we’ve seen talented quarterbacks slip down after the combine. For example, Will Levis was supposed to go early in the first round, and instead had to wait around until the second day before hearing his name get called. Maye isn’t expected to wait that long and should be the second-best quarterback prospect behind USC’s Caleb Williams. That is, if Williams even decides to enter the NFL draft.
