Drake Maye QB North Carolina: Scouting Report

Height: 6’4

Weight: 230

Overall

Drake Maye is a strong pocket passing quarterback in North Carolina’s pro-style offense. In his 3 seasons with the Tar Heels he played in 30 games, starting 26 of them. He had a lot of production throughout his college career and he has elite arm talent but he needs some development to reach his very high potential.

Pass Game

Maye shows sufficient footwork in the pocket but often throws off-balance rather than stepping into his throws. He shows the talent to make big-time throws when off-balanced but it also leads to a lot of inconsistencies in his accuracy. In the pocket, Maye has the speed to get up field but he lacks the quickness to evade pressure coming from the middle of the field. He also had multiple critical turnovers on film when he was about to get sacked. When he is outside the pocket, he shows the ability to make tough throws on the move and he can throw from multiple different arm angles to get the ball around defenders in his face. He has an elongated throwing motion which gives defenders that extra half second to jump out-breaking routes which led to more turnovers on his film. His long throwing motion creates issues on quick passing concepts as well. His velocity on his throws is elite, allowing him to fit the ball in very small windows but he lacks touch on his intermediate throws which allows underneath linebackers to make plays on the ball. He has a very strong arm and he throws a beautiful deep ball down in the middle of the field but he is very inaccurate when trying to throw deep down the sidelines where there is much less room to work with. 

Run Game

Maye was occasionally used on designed runs but a majority of his long runs came from scrambling up the middle when under pressure. He has good speed for his size to quickly get up the field and at times he shows the elusiveness to get around defenders at the second level but he plays his best ball from inside the pocket.

Last Word

Maye has elite arm talent with his throwing velocity and arm strength. He is a “win with” quarterback who has the ability to develop into a “win because of” quarterback. His long throwing motion and inconsistent decision-making under pressure needs to be a point of emphasis at the beginning of his career. With the right supporting cast around him he can have success early on but he needs to develop those key areas before he can consistently excel in the NFL.

One-Liner: Drake Maye has the size and arm talent you want in a franchise quarterback but his long throwing motion and inconsistencies against the rush need to be coached up before he can consistently elevate the offense around him.

Grade: 6.9 (Solid Starting Quarterback)

Games Watched: 2023 - South Carolina, Minnesota, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Miami

Team Fits: Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New York Giants