Robert Griffin III claps back at Merril Hoge about Drake Maye criticisms

Retired player and current NFL analyst Merril Hoge generated headlines when he recently said that North Carolina quarterback and highly-rated draft prospect Drake Maye "is the kind of player that will get you fired." 

ESPN personality Robert Griffin III made it known during Tuesday's edition of the "Get Up" program he disagrees with Hoge's take. In fact, Griffin insisted that game film shows Maye "has all of the tools he needs to be a franchise quarterback" at the highest level. 

"If he gets a coach fired," Griffin said about Maye, "it's not that he can't play. It's that that coach can't coach." 

Hoge admittedly hasn't been a Maye fan throughout the draft process, as the former running back said during the winter he "wouldn’t draft" the North Carolina product in the first round. One would struggle to find well-known analysts who agree with Hoge even though some believe Maye should sit as a rookie because he isn't yet ready to guide an NFL offense. 

Griffin noted during Tuesday's show segment that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has often said that coaches "can't run away from the job" as it pertains to getting the best out of an alleged raw prospect such as Maye. 

"It's a coach's job to coach a player to help him realize his potential," Griffin continued. "If a coach gets fired because of Drake Maye, it's simply because he can't coach. And I think he will be a franchise quarterback, so somebody needs to get Merril Hoge a cape. Because he's mad right now, but with that cape, he'll be super mad once Drake Maye becomes a franchise QB." 

Ted Nguyen of The Athletic recently wrote that private quarterback coaches told him that Maye has "correctable footwork issues" and "must continue to tweak his mechanics and be more consistent from snap to snap." 

For a mock draft updated on Monday, New England Patriots beat writer Chris Mason of MassLive predicted that club will spend the third pick to land Maye in part because veteran Jacoby Brissett can serve "as a Band-Aid" and start until Maye fully addresses the issues mentioned by individuals such as Hoge and Nguyen.