Best fits for North Carolina Tarheels star quarterback Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft

Drake Maye is one of the more fascinating quarterback prospects to enter the NFL Draft in quite a while.  If it wasn’t for USC’s Caleb Williams and LSU’s Jayden Daniels, the North Carolina product would be the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

As fascinating as he is, Maye is also the quarterback some NFL analysts see as potentially falling in the draft because of his inaccuracy at times. With his prototypical size and arm talent, Maye’s success in the NFL is going to depend on his mental toughness and how well he adapts in the NFL.  Much of that is going to rest on which situation he is drafted in. 

Will it be a team with patience or a team that will throw him in the fire right away?

Drake Maye has the talent to be good, but patience will make him very good

The latter could lead to the erratic version of Maye, so wherever he is drafted, that team will need to ease him in and allow him to get comfortable before unleashing the talent NFL evaluators also gush over.

In a draft analysis of Maye, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein writes:

“Maye’s size and arm talent jump off the tape immediately. He can make every throw, but he will try to make throws that he shouldn’t have attempted. The gunslinger mentality creates a fearlessness that can turn into interceptions, but it will also allow him to win in tight windows and make splash throws that get crowds (and evaluators) on their feet. He leaves too many throws on the back shoulder or hip and needs to learn when to take some sauce off the throw to make it more catchable. There is an undeniable energy to Maye’s game that can create momentum or turn chaotic when plays come off-schedule for him.”

Projected to be one of the top 3 quarterbacks selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye is a gunslinger who will flourish if drafted by the right team, in the right situation.  Here are the top 3 teams who are fits for the former UNC star.

New York Giants move on from Daniel Jones by selecting Drake Maye

The Giants are an X factor in the 2024 NFL Draft because they could get aggressive and go after one of the top quarterback prospects, or they can sit pat with the No. 6 overall pick and select a playmaker like Malik Nabers.

If they do the latter, that means they will stick with Daniel Jones another year.  But, with the rumblings linking the team to Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy at that spot, that could mean the Giants have plans to move on if right quarterback is there for the pickings.  So, what if Maye slides down to the G-Men?

With Maye not working out at the NFL Combine and NFL draft analysts and scouts exploiting his weaknesses, the UNC star could slide a little in the NFL Draft, especially if the teams selecting at No. 2 and No. 3 pass up on him.  If that happens, he won’t slide any further than No. 6 because the Giants will scoop him up.

Maye is a fit with the Giants because of his big arm and he does have the capability, like Jones, to escape the pocket and make plays on the run.  Another connection to the Giants is his link to their former quarterback, Eli Manning.  Maye is a big fan of the former Giants QB and has both worked out with him and taken advice from him.  Above that, his skillset coming out of college reminds some analysts and fans of Manning.

Maye has also received some top-notch advice from his mentor heading into the NFL whether that be with the Giants or another team.

“Eli [told me] just be myself, don’t be somebody I’m not,” Maye said, via the New York Post. “At the end of the day, don’t give the NFL too much spotlight or credit. Go out there and play ball.”

Can the kid out of North Carolina do that in the big lights of New York?  The Giants have the right coach [Brian Daboll] and mentor to groom the talented quarterback.

Drake Maye the missing piece for the Minnesota Vikings?

The Vikings would be an ideal situation for Drake Maye to step right in and have rookie success.

With playmaking talent around him like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, the 2024 NFL Draft quarterback prospect will have the targets and should also benefit from a head coach like Kevin O’Connell.

The question is, how do the Vikings who currently have the No. 11 and No. 23 overall picks in the NFL Draft get in a position to draft one of the top 3 quarterback prospects in the draft?  With all rumors pointing to them trying to use those picks to move into the top 5 to select J.J. McCarthy, perhaps the bigger prize is Maye.

Can they entice the Commanders or Patriots to move up as far as the top 3?  That will be the big question leading up to the draft and even on draft night.  Let’s say the Vikings pull it off and draft Maye.  With the top quarterback prospect, the Vikings offense with the playmakers they have would give the North Carolina star the opportunity to grow within the offense.  The signing of Aaron Jones will allow them to lean on the run and a short to intermediate passing game that will allow Maye to take some shots down the field from time to time.

As long as he doesn’t force anything, Maye should fit in nicely with the Vikings, which is a perfect situation for any young quarterback entering the league.

New England Patriots can't pass up on Drake Maye

Will the New England Patriots draft a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft or will they trade back and take their chances on a quarterback in the later rounds? 

That is the major question facing de facto general manager Eliot Wolf as the Patriots look to get the offense and the team overall back to respectability.  The signing of veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett is an indicator of what the team intends to do and that is draft one of the top quarterbacks entering the NFL draft.  That leads to the next question, will it be Jayden Daniels or will it be Maye?

One former NFL quarterback says the Patriots can’t afford to pass up on Maye, saying he’s as good of a QB prospect as he has ever seen.

“[I’ve] been at ESPN for 15 years evaluating quarterbacks as they come out for the draft,” ESPN draft analyst Tim Hasselbeck said during an appearance on WEEI’s Gresh and Fauria on Thursday.  “I think he’s as good of a prospect as I have evaluated in this entire time.  So, you know, from the Matthew Stafford’s to the Matt Ryan, to you name ‘em over that stretch – Andrew Luck…I think that he’s that good of a prospect.”

It really comes down to how Eliot and new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt feel about Maye and how he could possibly transcend the Patriots’ offense.  A QB with prototypical size, a big arm and some mobility is an obvious upgrade over Mac Jones, but it will really come down to what the Washington Commanders do at No. 2.  If they take Daniels, all bets is on the UNC star heading to Foxborough.