How Drake Maye can challenge Caleb Williams for QB1 in the 2024 NFL Draft

Caleb Williams is probably essentially the most electrifying participant in all of faculty soccer. The USC quarterback is coming off a Heisman Trophy season, and has already delivered his first dynamic second of the 2023 school soccer season with this unbelievable play in opposition to San Jose State per week in the past.

However will he be the primary quarterback taken within the 2024 NFL Draft?

For some time that appeared like a certain factor, however draft veterans bear in mind the times of “Sam Howell QB1, “Spencer Rattler QB1,” and different way-too-early prognostications that failed to return true.

Positive, Williams appears each bit the a part of a future star within the NFL, however issues change, and different quarterbacks may need one thing to say about that dialog.

Like Drake Maye.

Whereas Williams was lighting up scoreboards out West final season, Maye was doing the identical on the East Coast. In his first 12 months because the beginning quarterback at UNC, Maye related on 66.2 p.c of his passes for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns, in opposition to simply seven interceptions. Past the manufacturing have been the traits Maye displayed a season in the past. As increasingly more NFL draft evaluators began to dig into his movie over the summer season, momentum started to construct round Maye — not Williams — being QB1 heading into 2023.

Simply what’s it that has folks excited in regards to the UNC passer?

Completely different evaluators have completely different approaches in relation to learning gamers, and quarterbacks specifically. From my vantage level, it’s critically essential to observe not simply the nice video games, however the dangerous ones. The video games the place a quarterback’s staff loses, and the video games the place the quarterback himself struggles.

For Maye final season, the ACC Championship Sport in opposition to Clemson was one such outing. It was one in all simply two multi-interception video games he had on the 12 months, and one in all simply two video games final season the place he didn’t throw a single landing move. Whereas NCAA Passer Ranking just isn’t essentially the most very best metric, the 106.0 he posted in opposition to the Tigers was his third-lowest of the season.

UNC misplaced 39-10.

And but … even this sport might be used to bolster the argument that Maye could be QB1 when the draft rolls round.

As a result of on this loss you see Maye doing issues on the quarterback place that matter, and doing issues at an extremely-high stage for the place. Even in a dropping effort, Maye demonstrates traits NFL groups covet on the place.

Traits that will very properly make him QB1.

We will begin with this play from early within the sport, with UNC going through a 2nd-and-4 state of affairs. UNC catches Clemson in a Tampa 2 protection, and with a pair of routes bracketing the defender working the center, Maye makes use of his eyes to perfection, getting that defender to flatten for a step earlier than drilling in a throw to the receiver popping out of the best slot:

The tip zone angle provides an ideal take a look at how the QB makes use of his eyes right here to affect that defender. Maye takes the snap, provides a fast peek on the route he ultimately throws, after which will get his eyes to the center of the sector. That forces the defender to flatten his footwork for a step, which is all Maye wants. He then will get his eyes again to the slot receiver on the best, and places the ball proper into his chest.

The defender he froze arrives a step late, and the Tar Heels have a contemporary set of downs.

Life within the NFL is difficult as a quarterback. Nothing is ever good, pockets are hardly ever clear, and the defenders on the opposite aspect of the ball could make your life depressing. In recent times the league has trended in direction of passers who can create off-script, and off-structure. The quarterbacks who can create magic when performs break down make life brutal for opposing defenses, and create large performs for his or her offenses.

Later within the first quarter UNC faces a third and 6 on the Clemson 10-yard line. The Tigers deliver stress, and get a free runner on Maye. Whereas the Tar Heels have a Mesh idea dialed up, the QB can not sit and wait within the pocket. He must react.

Which he does, to perfection:

These are the sorts of moments — the place a QB turns potential catastrophe into an enormous play for his offense — which can be crucial in at present’s NFL. Maye avoids the free runners, retains the play alive (and his eyes downfield) and finds Josh Downs on his crossing route to provide the Tar Heels a contemporary set of downs within the low pink zone.

A 3-yard landing run from Maye on the following snap would give UNC an early 7-0 lead.

Ball placement is one other crucial facet of enjoying the place. If the quarterback just isn’t placing the ball the place it must be, and when it must be there, it’s arduous for an offense to have sustained success. Whereas Yardage After the Catch (YAC) is commonly thought-about a large receiver stat, the quarterback performs an enormous rule in that metric. Throws which can be on-time and well-placed put the receiver in place to select up these large YAC yards, or typically simply give the receiver the very best probability to make the catch.

Early within the second quarter the Tar Heels face a third and eight in Clemson territory. The Tigers ship 5 after Maye, whereas UNC dials up a three-receiver idea to the left aspect with a wheel route, a swing route, and a snag route from Downs.

Watch as Maye, from a collapsing pocket, will get this ball out on-time to Downs, who breaks away from the defender walling off the center of the sector:

Maye places this throw within the absolute good spot, main Downs away from the closest risk. That offers the receiver an opportunity to finish the catch and switch upfield, spinning away from the defender and falling ahead for the primary down.

Later within the drive UNC faces one other third down, this time a Third-and-17 state of affairs. With the soccer on the left hashmark they run a Flat-7 Smash idea, with the working again releasing to the flat and the remoted extensive receiver working a nook route.

Clemson once more will get a free runner at Maye, however he solves that downside with contact and anticipation:

With how this play unfolds, Maye can not wait a second longer to make this throw, in any other case the Tar Heels will face a troublesome fourth-down resolution. How does he remedy the issue? With anticipation, and contact. The receiver has but to begin his break, however the ball has to return out now. So Maye takes one thing off this throw, permitting the ball and the receiver to return collectively completely.

Simply take a look at the state of play when Maye is about to launch this throw:

The receiver has but to begin his break, not to mention get his eyes again to Maye, however the ball is popping out.

Drawback fixing is a part of enjoying the place, and Maye does it extraordinarily properly on this third-down state of affairs.

Generally as a quarterback your finest choices are the throws you don’t make. This subsequent instance — one more third-down state of affairs — is one such second from Maye. The Tar Heels face a third and seven, and run Tosser to the best aspect of the formation, which is a pair of slant routes.

Usually talking, quarterbacks learn this idea “inside-out,” working from the slot receiver to the surface receiver. If that inside slant route is open, hit it rapidly. If not, get your eyes and ft reset to the surface slant, and get the ball out.

Right here, Maye opens to that inside slant, however the Tigers deliver man stress whereas dropping the security into the throwing lane as they bracket Downs within the slot. With one more pocket collapsing round him, Maye — who has began to throw to Downs — resets himself and drills the surface slant to maneuver the chains:

If you hear the phrase “processing pace” used to explain quarterback play, that is one instance, Maye has to catch the snap, get his eyes to the within slant, learn it out and determine “throw or no-throw,” and when he doesn’t throw inside, he has to reset and get the ball out to the surface slant route.

All whereas six move rushers try to place him within the hospital, and this all occurs inside three seconds.

So that you wish to play quarterback?

Early within the fourth quarter the Tigers held a 29-point lead, however Maye was nonetheless battling. As soon as once more you see how properly he can use his eyes to control defenders on this instance. UNC dials up 4 verticals out of a 3×1 formation, with Clemson dropping into Cowl 6 (Quarter-Quarter-Half) within the secondary.

Watch as Maye influences the within security on this play by first trying to the within receiver as he crosses vertically, earlier than throwing the seam path to the center journeys receiver:

Maye creates the house together with his eyes, in addition to the timing. The second his proper foot hits his drop depth, the ball is popping out of his palms. He additionally places this proper on the receiver, and the Tar Heels have one other first down.

All of those performs present Maye fixing issues in numerous methods, and answering the challenges that quarterbacks face on a down-to-down foundation within the NFL. And doing so at a really excessive stage.

Now, as talked about on the outset Maye threw a pair of interceptions on this sport. These two performs want only a little bit of context. The primary fame on a Third-and-goal state of affairs late within the third quarter, and would possibly even go into the books as a constructive for Maye, regardless of the disastrous outcome:

As we’ve seen all through this piece, the Tigers introduced lots of stress that night time. However on this play, they throw Maye fairly the curveball as they rush simply two and drop eight defenders into protection, utilizing yet another as a spy on Maye within the pocket.

None of his preliminary reads are open, given the variety of defenders in protection, so he buys a little bit of time by rolling to his proper. Ultimately a receiver works again in direction of him, and Maye has an choice within the passing sport. However the throw is off beam, main the receiver to consider that the move is meant for another person, so he pulls his arms down.

As an alternative it goes proper to a defender, who returns it the space for the Decide-Six.

The opposite interception? That got here with underneath six minutes left, and the Tar Heels nonetheless trailing by 29. As soon as once more the Tigers introduced stress, and Maye tries to hit a vertical route alongside the left sideline. He has some trash at his ft, so he can not step into the throw, and the move is barely underthrown, resulting in the decide:

Whilst you hate to see turnovers, including within the context for each performs makes them look just a little higher than simply the numbers on the stat sheet.

There’s a lengthy, lengthy approach to go till the 2024 NFL Draft. Quarterbacks will rise, quarterbacks will fall, and who is aware of? Possibly Maye decides that life on campus is value dwelling one other 12 months.

However even in a sport like this, the place UNC got here out on the dropping finish, you see traits that matter on the place, particularly on the subsequent stage.

Williams might find yourself being QB1 on some boards.

With traits like this, nonetheless, Maye is perhaps there on others.