Drake Maye Landing Spots: Bears, Cardinals, Patriots, Giants emerge as possibilities
Drake Maye was considered to be among the Heisman Trophy frontrunners after entering the season. While that did not materialize for the North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback, his draft stock has not been too affected as he has still put together a strong season.
Maye has thrown for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has completed 63.3% of his passes while adding 449 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 112 carries.
In 30 career games – 26 of which were starts – over the past three seasons, he has accounted for 8,018 passing yards, 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Maye has completed 64.9% of his passes while adding 1,209 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 302 carries. Here's a look at some teams that could select Maye in the 2024 NFL draft:
Drake Maye's potential landing spots
#1. Chicago Bears
If the NFL season ended today, the Chicago Bears would end up with the No. 1 pick, courtesy of the 1-10 Carolina Panthers. They will have a decision to make as they could keep Justin Fields or look to replace him with Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. While their thought process is uncertain, they could wind up with two top-five picks, ensuring that they grab one of the top-two quarterbacks, if they desire.
#2. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals would hold the No. 2 pick if the season ended today. They are in a similar position as the Bears as they will have to determine if Kyler Murray is their quarterback of the future. If the Cardinals decide otherwise, they will likely settle for the player that the Bears pass up, whether that is Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.
#3. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots would hold the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft if the season ended today. While the widespread thought is that Caleb Williams and Drake Maye will be the first two players off the board, it would not be a surprise if one of the top two teams passed on drafting a quarterback and gave their current young quarterback a weapon, such as Marvin Harrison Jr. This would put the Patriots in prime position to pounce on one of the available quarterbacks.
#4. New York Giants
The New York Giants no longer appear to be within striking range of landing Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. That could, however, change over the final third of the regular season. Furthermore, the Giants will likely have a top five pick, which puts them in striking distance if either of the top two picks is made available via trade.