Are we really doing another mock draft? After all, the 2023 NFL draft is in the books, but it is never too soon to begin talking about next year’s NFL draft.
That’s exactly what ESPN’s Todd McShay did by releasing his “way too early” 2024 mock draft this week.
And if you’re a Washington Commanders fan, you will be sad and happy. For one, McShay has Washington picking third, but it’s due to a trade with the Indianapolis Colts to select North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye is a fantastic talent who looks the part of a future NFL star, but if Washington is picking this high in 2024 it means the 2023 season with another former UNC QB — Sam Howell — was a complete failure. McShay uses Super Bowl odds to determine the draft order in his mock draft, and the Commanders came in at No. 6 before moving up. That likely means Washington also has a new coaching staff in 2024.
Here’s McShay’s analysis of Maye to the Commanders:
Maye is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and has a massive arm. Not only did he throw 38 touchdown passes last season, but he also ran for seven scores and almost 700 yards. Washington might be comfortable with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett at the moment, but the former is a fifth-round pick with one career start, and the latter is a 30-year-old veteran backup on a one-year deal. I understand the Commanders passing on quarterback down the board at No. 16 in 2023, but if they have a chance to get someone like Maye next April, it could change things for the franchise. Washington was outside the top 20 in nearly every passing metric last season.
Maye has everything you look for in an NFL franchise quarterback. He’s big, fast, strong-armed, accurate and can make plays off schedule. While fans would love a quarterback with Maye’s talent, they’d probably tell you they hope things work out with Howell and are picking lower in 2024.