One of the most anticipated Pro Day sessions of the pre-2024 NFL Draft process took place Thursday when quarterback Drake Maye threw passes at the University of North Carolina.
The UNC quarterback could be a target of the New England Patriots, who own the No. 3 overall pick in next month's draft. The Patriots had a large contingent at Maye's Pro Day, including head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto GM Eliot Wolf.
Maye is one of the three top-tier QB prospects in this year's draft class, along with USC's Caleb Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels.
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Here's how Maye is viewed in some notable prospect ranking lists (among all players):
- Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: No. 7
- Dane Brugler, The Athletic: No. 4
- Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network: No. 5
- Pro Football Focus: No. 3
Maye completed 63.3 percent of his pass attempts for 3,608 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games for the Tar Heels last season. He also displayed some impressive athleticism, tallying 1,147 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns in two seasons as the Tar Heels' starting quarterback. Maye has good size, too, at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds with a rocket arm.
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After a couple poor throws early in his Pro Day, Maye really settled in and started to show the high-end talent that's made him such a highly rated prospect. According to 98.5 The Sports Hub's Cerrone Battle, who was in attendance, Mayo and Wolf came away impressed with what they saw.
"I've been to Patriots training camp and all this stuff, I've been down on Drake Maye, but he did make throws that were better than anything I saw in training camp last year," Battle said on Felger & Mazz. ...
"Eliot Wolf of all people crept up behind him and was standing right behind the UNC coaches and all those guys. He was the only one that got a little closer. He definitely looked like he was a little interested. I can clearly tell by the reactions by all the coaches and scouts that were there, they were shaking their head and grinning. My honest opinion, the way Mayo and Wolf were reacting, they're not trading out of that pick."
You can hear everything Battle had to say about Maye's Pro Day in the video player above.
Here's a roundup of notable throws from Maye's Pro Day drills.