New York Giants Draft Preview: QB Drake Maye

What would the New York Giants get in Drake Maye if they selected him in the first round?

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Apr 25, 2024

In this story:

New York Giants

NFL Draft

Drake Maye

Drake Maye, QB

Height: 6’ 4 ⅜”
Weight: 223 lbs
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
School: North Carolina

Drake Maye was the 56th-composite ranked player in the 2021 recruiting class out of Myers Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Maye was the ninth-overall quarterback and third-ranked player in the state. In 2019, Maye committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide for almost a year before flipping his commitment to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Strengths

Bazooka attached to his arm with elite velocity on all three levels
Has a beautiful deep ball - can loft it over the defense and right in the bucket
Can throw from different arm slots with ease
Willing and able to make tight-window throws under pressure
Navigates the pocket to work around pressure
Takes the checkdown when nothing else is available
Has the arm strength to make throws off-platform
Offense required him to be able to make pre-snap reads for quick game
Shown flashes of being able to move coverages with his eyes
Has the athleticism and willingness to pick up yards on the ground - led UNC in rushing yards in 2022
Has prototypical size for a QB
Has shown the ability to layer throws over the middle of the field
Experience in two offensive systems

Weaknesses

Needs to throw with some more touch in the short and intermediate - just because it’s close and open doesn’t mean it needs to be there NOW
Cleaning up his footwork should improve his accuracy and speed up his motion - which is fine but can be better
Speeding up his processing speed would allow him to avoid some of the unnecessary hits or risky throws under pressure
Would like to see him throw the ball away a bit more
Creative defenses that move post-snap can give him issues with moving off of his pre-snap read

Summary

Maye has a gunslinger mentality as a passer that will remind people of Brett Favre with his willingness to stand and deliver difficult throws regardless of pressure. In 2022, Maye looked much more natural operating in an offense that not only allowed him to challenge deep but was built to test vertically.

He’ll need to pick up the pace when reading defenses but with a virtually all-new supporting cast in 2023, we saw shades of the issues Sam Howell ran into during his final year at UNC. He's clearly physically gifted but is still far from a perfect prospect and will require refinement before being capable of being a QB1.

GRADE: 7.35