It’s no secret that North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye will be a top NFL Draft prospect when he officially becomes eligible. What’s currently unknown is how the league views the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
Maye recently participated in North Carolina’s Pro Day but not as a draft prospect. Rather, he was there to throw for his four teammates that were working out in front of a large contingency of NFL scouts. While scouts weren’t there to see Maye per se, they got an early peek at a future top draft choice.
“He would be a No. 1 draft choice today, in my opinion,” Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown said of Maye during a recent press conference. “All of them are just amazed.”
Maye isn’t draft eligible just yet — that’ll have to wait until after the 2023 season — but Brown boldly stated that he believes his quarterback would be picked ahead of players like Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Florida’s Anthony Richardson if the 20-year-old Maye were eligible to be drafted.
Brown was asked by reporters if any scouts specifically told him that Maye would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“No, and I didn’t ask them,” Brown said. “I just know that they all said, ‘My gosh, is this kid great. He is a great player, is there anything wrong with him?’ And I said, ‘No.’ We can all get better. He’s working on footwork.”
We’ll have to see if Maye ends up being selected with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which is likely to have some great prospects like Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams or Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison, Jr.