Mel Kiper 2024 NFL Draft Big Board: Drake Maye Drops in New Rankings amid Free Agency

ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. is pushing back against the consensus that Drake Maye is in the conversation with Caleb Williams as the best quarterback in the 2024 class.

In his latest big board released on Friday, Kiper dropped Maye one spot from his previous ranking to No. 7 overall and has him as the third-best quarterback behind Williams (No. 1 overall player) and LSU's Jayden Daniels (No. 3).

Regarding Maye's skill set, Kiper praised him for being "accurate on the move" and having "outstanding touch on vertical throws."

The main criticism of Maye was he "had a few sloppy interceptions" and those mistakes didn't get cleaned up throughout the 2023 season.

Kiper has been consistent in having Williams and Daniels ahead of Maye throughout the process. His ranking of the top 10 players by position that dropped after the Super Bowl had them as the top three quarterbacks in that order.

Per a consensus big board from The Athletic's Austin Mock and Diante Lee, which combines rankings from a wide variety of draft experts, Maye is the No. 3 overall prospect behind Williams and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

B/R's NFL scouting department ranks Maye as the top quarterback and No. 3 overall player in the 2024 draft. Derrik Klassen's scouting report cites Justin Herbert as the North Carolina star's pro comparison:

"Overall, Maye is a supremely talented passer. He has the athleticism, arm talent and baseline processing skills to become a weapon at the next level. All he needs to do is cut out some of the 'doing too much' plays. Maye has the skill set to fit in any system and develop into a star."

Williams also received criticism for developing some bad habits during his final season at USC. The combination of a horrible defense and a poor offensive line put a lot on Williams' shoulders, but it doesn't seem to have impacted his stock.

Daniels' stock skyrocketed in a season when he was throwing to two wide receivers—Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.—who will both probably be top-20 picks.

Maye played on a North Carolina team in 2023 that lost its top two receivers from the previous year (Josh Downs and Antoine Green) and had a defense that ranked 75th in FBS in points allowed per game.

There's no perfect way to evaluate quarterbacks—otherwise, all 32 teams would have the position solved right now. It appears the top three signal-callers in this year's class are extremely close, and the only difference comes down to personal preference.