Football by Numbers North Carolina Tar Heels

QB Rankings: Drake Maye

September 30, 2022April 20, 2023 CFB Saturdays Staff

Updated 04/20/2023

As we review the QB rankings, players have had the opportunity to raise their stock and move up the rankings. Before we jump into Drake Maye, here’s a few reminders about the rankings themselves:

The rankings will be updated throughout the season.
Players who have not played college football are not eligible for the rankings.
Players are graded on their college ability, not their pro potential.
We are judging players on their film, production and physical tools.

You can view the College Football QB Rankings here.

North Carolina quarterback, Drake Maye won the starting job in 2022 as the replacement for Sam Howell. He impressed in his season debut, then continued to string together impressive performances. He quickly became the leader of North Carolina’s offense and got the most out of his offensive weapons throughout the season. All in all, he completed 66 percent of his passes at 8.4 yards per attempt with 38 touchdowns against 7 interceptions and also ran for 698 yards at 3.8 yards per carry with 7 touchdowns. Maye has become an elite quarterback who is one of the best players in college football.

Maye plays the game with poise that many veterans do not possess. He is rarely rattled by the score, crowd noise, momentum of the game or the pressure the defenses is trying to put on him. He stays within himself, runs the play and makes good decisions for the offense. As a result, Maye is able to make big plays in difficult situations and flip the momentum of the game. He is accurate under pressure or on the move, making it difficult to force him into mistakes. The poise and leadership makes Maye difficult to defend for sixty minutes.

In addition to being a great leader, Maye is a physically gifted quarterback. He checks in at 6’5″ 220 lbs, with the prototypical size and arm strength for a quarterback. Maye can make every throw an offensive coordinator would ask him to. He can stretch the field vertically, drop a touch pass in between the coverage, fit a fastball in a tight window or place a throw on the sideline where only his receiver can make a play. On top of that arm talent, Maye can also make all of those throws off platform when he is forced to move his feet or unable to set his feet. This ability allows him to beat pressure and make big plays downfield.

Drake Maye has all of the physical tools needed to be an elite quarterback. He has an excellent frame with the arm talent to star at any level. Maye is a crafty runner when he needs to be and can beat the defense running or throwing when he is outside the pocket. He also has the presence and leadership that the great ones have. He was phenomenal in his first season as a starter and should be even better during the 2023 season.

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