Drake Maye has ‘bad habits’ as QB and could be NFL Draft bust in wrong ‘situation’ despite top 10 talent, expert says
Caleb Williams has been compared to Patrick Mahomes.
Jayden Daniels is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, despite an elbow that shocked NFL fans after a gruesome photo resurfaced.
But there is only one quarterback set for the early first round of the upcoming draft who is truly divisive, and one NFL Draft analyst already has serious question marks about the former college star.
ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller said that he has concerns about the NFL future of Drake Maye and isn't as high on the QB as other players regularly mentioned among the possible top 10 picks.
"Drake Maye is the one," Miller exclusively told talkSPORT. "It’s always kind of scary. Look at the guys who were the most debated players, it’s usually not good."
With four young QBs expected to be taken in the top 10 on April 25 in Detroit -- a recent ESPN mock draft featured all four QBs off the board in the initial five picks -- there's no doubt that a glaring spotlight will surround the most important position in pro sports.
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Williams is viewed as a lock to Chicago at No. 1, after the Bears traded away former first-round pick Justin Fields.
Daniels could go No. 2 to the Washington Commanders.
Many mocks have a former North Carolina QB up next.
And that's where Miller says the big questions arrive.
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Maye threw 63 touchdowns in three seasons for the Tar Heels but only was a starter for two years.
The 6ft 4in and 223lb QB redshirted in 2021 and played in four games as a backup.
He exceled in 2022, winning ACC Player of the Year while passing for 4,321 yards and 38 TDs.
That breakout season began Maye's upward draft push.
But he was inconsistent last year and draft experts continue to debate his first-round value, with some predicting boom and others fearing a serious bust.
Miller believes that Maye needs time to develop and learn the NFL.
But if he goes to Washington at No. 2 or New England at No. 3, he will likely be pushed to take the field as soon as possible.
The Minnesota Vikings, who moved on from veteran Kirk Cousins in free agency, are also a candidate to trade up into the top of the draft.
"With Drake, I hope he goes to a situation where he doesn’t have to play right away," Miller said. "Unfortunately, when you’re drafted in the top six picks you’re pretty much playing right away. The Jordan Love and Patrick Mahomes situations are rare in this day and age."
ESPN's Field Yates that Maye "has the ideal quarterback build at 6-4 and 223, a massive arm and very, very good mobility," and had the former UNC QB heading to New England in a mock.
The NFL's praised Maye's "top-flight measurables" but also highlighted "inconsistencies that create a lower floor."
"There is an undeniable energy to Maye’s game that can create momentum or turn chaotic when plays come off-schedule for him," the site said. "The combination of traits and tape make him a boom/bust prospect who might need patient management and coaching to help shepherd him toward his potential."
Maye was highly confident during the recent draft combine and appeared to be ready to deal with first-round expectations.
"You don't want to game plan for me," Maye told . "You want to game plan with me."
Miller stressed that Maye needs "structure" in the NFL, which has consistently churned through first-round QBs in recent years.
In the right situation and given time, Maye could excel.
In the wrong situation and forced to play ahead of schedule, Maye could become another former North Carolina QB who was drafted far too early in the first round.
The Bears took Mitch Trubisky at No. 2 overall in 2017, ahead of Mahomes at No. 10 to the Chiefs.
Trubisky, who is 31-26 as a starter, made one Pro Bowl but soon lost his job.
He's bounced from Chicago to Buffalo and Pittsburgh, and is now Josh Allen's backup with the Bills.
"(Maye is) the one where I think he needs structure around him because he has some bad habits with his low body," Miller said. "He’s got some bad habits with his processing speed even, where that’s got to get a little bit better and a little bit faster.
"And especially in a draft class with so much (quarterback) experience. Bo Nix had 61 starts in college, Michael Penix had 55 starts in college. We’ve got a guy who started like 24 games and we saw a decline in his play, which always scares me a little bit, when the more tape people got on you, the worse you played. That always scares me a little bit.
"There’s no denying that the arm strength, the toughness, the mobility, those are all really good and they’re really exciting. That’s why he probably should be a top 10 pick.
"But the situation for him, like we were talking about with Caleb, the situation for Drake is going to matter I think more than anyone else in the class."
Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Merril Hoge, who spent time as an ESPN analyst, was even more alarmist about Maye in the pros.
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"Drake Maye is the kind of player that will get you fired,†Hoge said on . “Especially if you draft him in the top five or top three, he’s going to get you fired.â€
With Maye projected to go as high as No. 2, the debate will only intensity about the divisive QB as the first round on April 25 approaches.