Where will UNC’s Drake Maye go in 2024 NFL Draft? Experts divided on QB’s landing spot
North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye is one of the more polarizing prospects in this month’s NFL Draft.
While the Huntersville native is still expected — by most analysts — to be selected within the first 10 picks of the annual event, his ultimate landing spot has been debated heavily among pundits.
Some experts have Maye going just behind consensus top quarterback, Southern California’s Caleb Williams, with the No. 2 pick to the Washington Commanders. Others see Maye’s landing spot scattered throughout the top of the first round — from dipping outside of the top five picks to being the apple of the eye of a team trading up into that same range.
Here is a roundup of 10 experts’ most recent mock draft selections for Maye:
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network: No. 2, Commanders
Bucky Brooks, NFL Network: No. 11, Minnesota Vikings
Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: No. 3, New England Patriots
Jordan Reid, ESPN: No. 3, Patriots
Charles Davis, NFL Network: No. 2, Commanders
Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: No. 3, Patriots
Eric Edholm, NFL.com: No. 4, Vikings (trade with Arizona Cardinals)
Chad Reuter, NFL.com: No. 3, Patriots
Danny Kelly, The Ringer: No. 3, Vikings (trade with Patriots)
Trevor Sikkema, Pro Football Focus: No. 2, Commanders
Takeaways from Maye’s mock draft roundup
The collection of 10 mock drafts paired Maye with three potential landing spots: Washington, Minnesota and New England.
The Patriots were the most prominent pairing, with four analysts linking Maye to the six-time Super Bowl champions, who just traded Mac Jones to Jacksonville and moved on from legendary head coach Bill Belichick.
New Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo — the former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator — attended Maye’s pro day workout in March. The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick in this month’s draft, making them a logical landing spot for Maye, who appears to be vying with LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy to be the second quarterback off the board.
The Commanders were linked to Maye three times. The owners of the No. 2 pick are seemingly choosing between Maye, Daniels and McCarthy with their pick. Washington’s brain trust — including new head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury — was in attendance at Maye’s pro day workout as well.
Maye has notable ties to the Vikings due to his relationship with Minnesota quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, who worked with him at Myers Park High School several years ago. McCown quickly greeted Maye following his throwing session at his pro day and the pair chatted following the workout. Maye noted that McCown has been a positive influence on him since his high school days.
The Vikings own the No. 11 pick, so they’d probably need to trade up to land Maye. While the Brooks had Maye falling all the way to No. 11, the other nine pundits had the Tar Heels quarterback landing no later than the fourth overall selection.
Kelly and Edholm had the Vikings packaging picks to move up to select Maye with the No. 3 and No. 4 selections, respectively.
The Vikings made a trade with the Houston Texans earlier this offseason to land the 23rd overall pick, giving them two first-round picks. In theory, the Vikings could package No. 11 and No. 23 to move into the top five and land their quarterback of the future — which could be Maye.
While it seems like a foregone conclusion among draft pundits that the Chicago Bears will select Williams with the first overall pick — landed in the Panthers’ trade up to No. 1 last year — Maye might have some other options outside of the Vikings, Patriots and Commanders.
The Denver Broncos were represented by GM George Paton and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb at Maye’s pro day. And the New York Giants have been loosely linked to various quarterback prospects in mock drafts as of late.
The Broncos own the No. 12 pick, while the Giants are sitting pretty at No. 6.
