Scouts raved about Drake Maye at UNC pro day

Drake Maye. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

UNC HC says scouts raved about QB Drake Maye at pro day

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Mar 29, 2023 12:22 PM ET

Drake Maye drew quite the crowd during North Carolina’s pro day on Monday. The only problem is the redshirt sophomore QB isn’t eligible for the NFL Draft until 2024.

The 6-foot-4 signal caller threw passes to receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green, according to UNC head coach Mack Brown, had scouts salivating at the possibility of drafting Maye next season.

“I just know that they all said, ‘My gosh, is this kid great. He is a great player, is there anything wrong with him?’” Brown recalled. “And I said, ‘No.’ We can all get better. He’s working on footwork.”

Every NFL team here certainly wants to get a look at the guys actually testing.

But make no mistake— eyes are also on QB Drake Maye. Could be a Top 10 pick next year.

Nice pitch & catch to Antoine Green. pic.twitter.com/psEX1bhBPj
— Travon Miles (@TrayABC11) March 27, 2023

Maye, the reigning ACC Player and Offensive Player of the Year, is projected to be the No. 2 overall pick in 2024 behind USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

He threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2022 while rushing for 698 yards and seven more touchdowns. Maye set school single-season records for passing yards, completions (342) and attempts (517), and tied the school’s single-season record for touchdown passes en route to earning a first-team All-ACC selection and being named the conference’s Rookie and Offensive Rookie of the Year.

"Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are generational QBs" ~ @ReceDavis #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/pHdYdGC7Eo
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 22, 2023

“He would be a No. 1 draft choice today, in my opinion,” Brown said. “All of (the scouts) are just amazed. They sat there and watched yesterday, and we had all 32 teams represented, we had 45 people there.”

Downs, who’s projected to be taken in either the first or second round of the 2023 draft, was Maye’s favorite target this season. The two connected for 94 receptions, 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns. Downs, too, believes Maye will be the talk of the draft next season.

“I love Drake, I love his arm, I love the player,” Downs said, via the Fayetteville Observer. “He’s going to be a top-two draft pick next year.”

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

More must-reads: