Commanders 'Have Been Waiting For' Drake Maye, Says Analysts
With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders will have a chance to finally get things right at quarterback for the first time since Kirk Cousins left in 2018.
Much pre-draft speculation has connected the Commanders to USC quarterback Caleb Williams after they hired Kliff Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator. Kingsbury was an offensive analyst at USC and got to coach Williams in his final season in Southern California.
While Washington could be hellbent on bringing Williams back home to the nation's capital, he may go with the No. 1 overall pick to the Chicago Bears. Should things play out that way, it'd leave LSU's Jayden Daniels and UNC's Drake Maye for the Commanders if they indeed plan on taking a quarterback at No. 2. If that situation arises, NBC analyst and co-host of the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast Connor Rogers said Washington shouldn't think twice about drafting Maye.
Nov 25, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws a pass against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first half at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
"He's an excellent prospect," Rogers said of Maye on the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast. "If I'm the Commanders and it goes Caleb Williams No. 1 overall, there's not even a conversation for me. I got Drake Maye No. 2. We've been waiting for this. I'm a really big fan. There's not much he can't do is my takeaway when watching him...I wouldn't answer the phone to move the pick."
Rogers' co-host, Pro Football Focus lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema, echoed the sentiment that Washington should take Maye.
"There should not be any debate at all whatsoever about who goes No. 2 overall in this draft," Sikkema said. "There shouldn't be a debate for who goes No. 1, and I don't think there should be a debate of who goes No. 2....The Commanders have been waiting for a player like this."
Maye had his best collegiate season in 2022, as he was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and the conference's Player of the Year. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound quarterback threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions and ran for 698 yards and seven scores.
His stats dipped slightly in 2023, though he had a solid season. Maye threw for for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he ran for 449 yards and nine scores.
Among Maye's traits that stood out to Rogers, he was impressed with the UNC quarterback's ability to be a threat with his arm and legs in the red zone.
"I'm a big believer in his as a passer," Rogers said. "I'm a big believer in him as a runner. I think he's a big-bodied red-zone threat. When you get inside the 10, it's like 'Damn we've got to worry about Drake Maye barreling into the end zone, or he can lay one right to the back pylon with a perfect touch throw.'"
If head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters are going to turn the Commanders around, they have to find the right guy at quarterback. If they have anywhere near the same conviction Rogers and Sikkema have about Maye, he should undoubtedly be the pick at No. 2 for Washington if he's available.
