One of the big dominoes of the 2024 NFL Draft dropped last night. Drake Maye, the star quarterback for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels football program, let it be known that he was eschewing his remaining college eligibility to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.
If it weren't for Caleb Williams, Drake Maye would be a near lock to be the first overall pick in this upcoming draft. He still could. His play would warrant it; his arm talent pops on the screen and his numbers are scintillating. In two seasons as a starter, Maye has completed roughly 65% of his passes, has averaged about 8.4 yards per attempt, and has 62 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions in that span. At 6-4 230 pounds with a rocket arm, he looks the part of a franchise quarterback.
Caleb Williams will be the main attraction of the 2024 Draft, but Drake Maye is more than just a consolation prize. He could also completely change the trajectory of whatever franchise drafts him. The question is: which team will end up drafting him? Who are the best fits for Maye? A couple of teams stand out as potential options.
New England Patriots
The Mac Jones era in New England looks like it will be coming to a close after this season, if it hasn't closed already. Jones' NFL career got off to a promising start. He started all 17 games, completed 67.6% of his passes as a rookie, threw for 3,801 yards, threw for 22 touchdowns with 13 interceptions, and helped lead the Patriots to a playoff birth. But things haven't gone as smoothly since then. In 25 games since that season, Jones has only two more touchdown passes than what he threw as a rookie and ten more interceptions than his rookie season. The Patriots won only two of Jones' 11 starts this season. In Jones' last two starts, the Patriots mustered a combined 13 points.
Jones has since been benched for Bailey Zappe. Zappe looked in control on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but could not muster a single point the game before against the Chargers. The Patriots badly need a quarterback to fill the void Tom Brady left. They also need to drastically improve their offensive line and their group of pass catchers. The Patriots rank dead last in ESPN's pass block win rate and their leading receiver on the season is sixth-round rookie Demario Douglas with only 410 yards. It's a pretty rough situation for Drake Maye to walk into. But the Patriots have the inside track to the number two pick in the 2024 Draft and need a quarterback. This might just be Maye's eventual landing spot.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have some work to do to better position themselves to land Drake Maye. They'd have the sixth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft according to Tankathon if the season ended today. However, the teams ahead of them (Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, and Chicago Bears) could all talk themselves into the quarterback currently on their roster being the guy they want to roll with. Cardinals' offensive coordinator Drew Petzing just went on ESPN insider Adam Schefter's podcast and stated he believes that Kyler Murray is the Cardinals' franchise quarterback. If Chicago drafts Caleb Williams first overall or sticks with Justin Fields, they'd already have their quarterback.
Washington sticking with Sam Howell is the biggest holdup, but Howell has not been the problem there. It's possible Maye slides to the Raiders. And if he does, it's a pretty good landing spot for him. The Raiders would still have Davante Adams to throw to and Jakobi Meyers as a solid number two receiver. ESPN grades the Raiders' offensive line as the 12th best in terms of pass block win rate. They have a head coach and GM opening, so they can tilt their entire franchise towards Drake Maye if they land him. If ownership can find the right people at those spots, Maye could finally be the quarterback to provide some stability to the Raiders.
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