Draft guru reveals toughest player in 2024 class to evaluate

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Draft guru says this QB is toughest player in 2024 draft class to evaluate

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 4/5/24

Four quarterbacks are expected to be taken in the top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft, but determining which order they could go in, or even how they should be ranked, is a task easier said than done.

USC’s Caleb Williams is expected to go No. 1 overall, but trying to sort out and project LSU’s Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy to the next level is where most draft experts disagree.

In fact, ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller says Maye is the toughest player for him to evaluate in the 2024 class.

“He started only 26 games in college, and his turnovers (16 interceptions) and missed-throws scare me,” Miller wrote. “I've accepted that Maye will be drafted much higher than my ranking for him, but he's my most difficult evaluation when it comes to balancing his upside with his current ability.”

Drake Maye will be a ____ next season? pic.twitter.com/G3Aw1UPkv4
— PFF (@PFF) April 4, 2024

Most mock drafts have Maye going anywhere from second to fourth overall. He began the draft process as the favorite to go to the Washington Commanders at No. 2, but he’s since been slipping down draft boards.

He’s been linked to the New England Patriots at No. 3 overall and the Minnesota Vikings, who pick 11th but are expected to trade up into the top four to get a QB.

Of the two teams, Minnesota is a much better situation than the rebuilding Patriots for Maye to land in with a solid offensive line, a revamped running game that added former Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones, and one of the better one-two punches at wide receiver in the NFC with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

“I just think the situation he is drafted into will matter so much in determining what kind of success Maye has in the NFL,” Miller added.

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