The North Carolina Tar Heels are set to close out the regular season at NC State on Saturday night. It could be the final game for quarterback Drake Maye, although for now he does plan on playing in the bowl game.
Even so, at best there are two games left in the Maye era before he heads to the NFL and the Tar Heels would love to close it out on a strong note.
But as we sit here in the month of November, the 2024 NFL draft picture is starting to become more and more clear. There are only 7 regular season weeks left in the NFL and the draft talk is heating up. This week, ESPN insiders made their predictions on what the top 10 will look like.
The analysts all agreed that Drake Maye would land at No. 2 overall to the New York Giants. Here is what Matt Miller had to say on Maye:
Miller: There’s a very good chance Maye would have been my QB1 for 2023 based on his arm strength, mobility and ball placement. He’s Justin Herbert to me. Maye has thrown for 3,354 yards with 22 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions this season, and he has rushed for another eight scores.
And what Jordan Reid had to say:
Reid: I’d argue the Giants also have to go quarterback if they are picking here. I know they just paid Daniel Jones in March, but being able to land one of the draft’s top two passers changes things. I love the mobility and accuracy of North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and we see him manipulate coverages and attack all three levels of the field every Saturday. His pocket patience continues to improve, too. Maye processes quickly and understands where the weak points are in defenses. I think he could thrive with coach Brian Daboll. The Giants’ offensive line is still a work in progress, but Maye is poised under center and could be a star in the NFL.
Maye has closed the gap on Caleb Williams in the race for the top quarterback and two really good games plus a strong draft process could go a long way.
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