NFL Scout Defends Drake Maye: UNC QB Still 'High-First-Round-Caliber' for 2024 Draft

Despite some rough moments to start this season, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye's stock in the 2024 NFL draft doesn't appear to have been impacted.

One AFC scout texted ESPN's Matt Miller that Maye's "arm talent, mobility and personality are high-first-round-caliber."

Maye's completion percentage of 72.5 looks great and he's thrown for 891 yards, including 414 in Saturday's win over Minnesota, but the redshirt sophomore has thrown as many touchdowns as interceptions (four) in three games.

If you go back to the 2022 season, Maye has eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in his last seven games.

While these stats would seem to be concerning for any quarterback's draft prospects, the scout explained to Miller that Maye is "all they have there" at North Carolina.

"He's going to force some passes and make mistakes," the scout said, "but he'll be just fine."

Maye has been the consensus No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft class dating back to the end of last season. USC's Caleb Williams seems to have a stronghold on the top spot with a terrific start in 2023 after winning the Heisman Trophy last year.

As long as Maye doesn't fall on his face this season, it doesn't seem like he's going to fall too far in the 2024 draft if he ends up leaving college for the NFL. The 21-year-old has earned rave reviews for his natural talent and skill set that will be very appealing to teams seeking a potential gamechanger under center.