The 2024 NFL scouting combine is officially in the books as prospects did their best to impress teams and scouts while Indianapolis. With pro days and visits on deck, it’s going to be a big next two months for prospects hoping to reach the next level of football.
And for one North Carolina draft prospect, he improved his stock despite not doing any on-field drills.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote on Drake Maye after the combine, breaking down the quarterback from the past week in Indianapolis and he had nothing but praise for him. In fact, he wrote that no one improved their stock more at the combine than Maye:
You know how strong this year’s class is at the position. The USC Trojans’ Caleb Williams might be the most talented prospect to come out in years. The LSU Tigers’ Heisman winner, Jayden Daniels, has seen his stock rise like a rocket ship the past six months. There’s depth, too, where you could find a competent starter into the middle rounds. But no one helped himself more than Maye, who left an impression with scouts that echoed in the bars and restaurants of Indianapolis.
That impression was, well, the antithesis of what they’d expected. The quarterback teams thought they’d get—with that voice and laid-back gait—instead brought the juice, coming across as competitive and fiery. After someone told me Maye is more Philip Rivers than Eli Manning or Daniel Jones, a mutual friend of both Rivers and Jones gave me a direct response.
That’s some high praise especially after not throwing at the combine.
Maye will eventually throw for teams when North Carolina holds their pro day late in March. From there, he will also have meeting privately with teams as he’s likely set to go in the first five picks.
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