North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye turned heads during his two years as a starter for the Tar Heels. He showed enough that he’s projected to be a top five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. What has evaluators so excited about his game?
Drake Maye scouting report

Oct 14, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) runs against the Miami Hurricanes in the first half at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Background
College: North Carolina
Age: 21
Height: 6’4
Weight: 230
Awards: ACC Player of the Year (2022), ACC Offensive Player of the Year (2022), ACC Rookie of the Year (2022), All-ACC First Team (2022), All-ACC Second Team (2023)
Maye was a four-star recruit out of Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the fourth-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2021 after Quinn Ewers, Caleb Williams, and Sam Huard. After initially committing to Alabama he flipped to stay in-state at UNC.
With Sam Howell as an established starter, Maye redshirted his true freshman year. He won the starting job in camp the next year, after Howell left for the NFL. He ended up having a breakout season, getting UNC to nine wins for the first time since 2015.
Despite having lucrative NIL deals on the table Maye stayed at UNC for his redshirt sophomore year in 2023. His numbers weren’t quite the same, with the emergence of running back Omarion Hampton leading to the offense involving the run game more. Still, early in the year Maye had his team angling for a playoff spot, before going 2-4 down the stretch.
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