With the third pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select boom or bust quarterback Drake Maye from the University of North Carolina. Maye is the highest quarterback the Patriots have taken since the team drafted the Wile E. Coyote, the King of The North, Drew Bledsoe. Here's a scouting report on Drake Maye.
Between 2021 and 2023 Maye started 25 of 30 games. Completing 64.9% of his 618 attempts. He threw for 8,018 yards, 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions over that span. Unfortunately, he was also sacked 70 times with 69 coming the last two seasons. Maye also averaged 4 yards a carry on 302 attempts, scoring 16 touchdowns. He even averaged 40.5 yards in two punts. Maye lost 7 of 11 Fumbles over his college career.
When it comes to the sacks, keep in mind that Mac Jones was sacked 14 more times over that span and started hearing footsteps and seeing ghosts. If Maye plays before the Patriots line is fixed, that could be him.
Drake Maye is 6'4" 223 lbs and 21 years old, so he should have a decade of football at the least if he pans out. Let's look at all his pros and cons according to the various media scouting reports.
Pros:
-Prototype build
-Athletism
-Escape artist
-Velocity
-Arm strength
-Throws off platform
-Throwing motions
-Accuracy
-Pocket play
-Awareness
-Processor
-Decision making
-IQ
-Field vision
-Nerves
Cons:
- Making adjustments after the snap
- Inconsistent throwing mechanics/stances
- Inconsistent footwork
- Poor decision making
- Hesitates to make decisions
- Tends to hold onto the ball
- Risk taker
- Average pocket presence
- Poor throws under pressure
- Unnecessarily puts the ball in harm's way
- Throwing between coverages/defenders
- Forces throws
- Throws with too much velocity
- Bubble thrower
- Inconsistent accuracy, misses open targets
- Sails sideline throws
- Accuracy declines when play breaks down
- Goes with the first read too often
- Too many paper cuts (quick passes)
- Doesn't lead receivers
- Tucking the ball while running
- Doesn't slide when should
- Average mobility
- Cerebral escape artist
- Not a runner by design
The Boom:
A big, strong passer, Maye has impressive arm talent and can throw with velocity and accuracy, whether it's firing passes over the middle or launching deep rainbow passes. He also has good touch and ball placement on their deep throws. When it comes to reading the defense, he takes what's given to him and make precise throws, even fooling defenders with their eyes.
He's not just limited to the pocket either, as he is mobile enough and can scramble when pressured or take off when they see an open running lane. And let's not forget his ability to throw on the run! Maye knows how to anticipate the blitz and avoid the rush. And ran UNC's simple offense better than Zappe ran the Patriots' offense.
The Bust:
Maye has a few areas where he could use some improvement. His footwork in the pocket can be inconsistent, leading to accuracy issues. He also has a longer release, which can affect his throws. Sometimes, he overthrows his targets or doesn't give his receivers a chance to make yards after the catch. He throws to the area of his receivers to much instead of to them. Additionally, Maye has a tendency to lock onto one receiver instead of going through their progressions, which allows defenders to read his eyes and make plays on the ball.
His post-snap movement recognition and pre-snap reads could use some work too. His decision-making can be questionable at times, and he has a tendency to go for the big play rather than taking what's given to him. This can lead to unnecessary sacks, turnovers, or missed opportunities. He has some areas to focus on to improve his game, especially against more complex defenses. And one has to question if he can run a more complicated offense.
Overall:
A prototypical quarterback for the modern NFL but in need of a lot of development. He will need to sit a season minimum. He also needs to learn to play the position and to stop trying to be a superstar. Not every quarterback can get away with Madden bullcrap. He has the qualities of a long term starting quarterback while simultaneously having the red flags of a bust. He needs to learn to be consistent instead of being consistently Inconsistent.
Check out how the Goat scouted him. I still trust the goat, even if he's no longer with the franchise. In Bill I trust. Like Bill I had Daniels as the top prospect for the Patriots. As unpopular as it is, I also had Nix and then McCarthy ahead of Maye. I took Maye off my board shortly after compiling the list of pros and cons for the quarterbacks in this draft back in January.
NFL comparisons per media Sources:
Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Johnny Manziel, Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, Jared Goff, Daniel Jones, Malik Willis, and personally, a big armed quarterback that I thought was a bust, that got hyped, Rob Johnson.
If I had to go with three comparisons from what I see,
Ceiling: Eli Manning (Former Giant)
Middle: Rob Johnson (Former Bill)
Floor: Johnny Manziel (Former Brown)
Here's hoping Maye can prove me wrong like Herbert did.
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