North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye announced Monday that he is declaring for next year’s NFL draft, in which he is expected to be one of the top picks — and possibly the very first.
The redshirt sophomore added that he will skip the Tar Heels’ upcoming bowl game. UNC is slated to play West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 27.
“Thank you, Coach [Mack] Brown, for the opportunity to live out my dream of playing quarterback in Carolina Blue,” Maye wrote in a statement he shared on social media. “ … Tar Heel Nation, the best fans out there. You have made my time at UNC truly special, thank y’all.”
A North Carolina native with deep family ties to the university and its athletic teams, Maye has been the Tar Heels’ regular starter for the past two seasons. The 2022 ACC player of the year, he led the conference this season in passing yards while throwing for 24 touchdowns and rushing for nine more.
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At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Maye has prototypical size for an NFL quarterback to go with impressive mobility and arm talent. He is considered one of the two premier quarterback prospects in the 2024 draft, along with Southern California’s Caleb Williams. While the latter is more widely predicted, at this juncture, to go first, it may come down to a preference among NFL teams for playing style and perceived scheme fit.
Williams, a junior who won the 2022 Heisman Trophy, has yet to confirm he will enter next year’s draft. However, his decision to skip USC’s bowl game can be seen as an indicator of his plans. Another candidate to go first overall, Ohio State junior wide receiver and 2023 Heisman finalist Marvin Harrison Jr., said recently that he has not made a decision about going pro.
With four full weeks left in the NFL’s regular season, the Chicago Bears have a two-game lead over the field in terms of being in position to get the No. 1 pick. That selection is technically tied to the 1-12 Carolina Panthers, who traded the pick to Chicago in March as part of a package that landed the Panthers this year’s top pick, former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.
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The Bears already have a young quarterback in Justin Fields who has shown some promise, so the team may have to decide whether to trade the No. 1 pick for a second straight year, use it to draft Harrison or a different non-quarterback, or trade Fields to possibly clear the way for Williams or Maye.
Tied for the second-worst NFL record thus far, at 3-10, are the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. The Patriots are currently in position for the No. 2 pick because their strength of schedule mark is lower than that of the Cardinals. Arizona could also have a decision to make about its quarterback, Kyler Murray, whom it made the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft.
Maye told ESPN on Monday that declaring for the draft was “the best decision for me and my future,” one that he made in consultation with coaches and family members.
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“It was my lifelong dream to play quarterback at North Carolina,” he added, “and I get a chance to check off another dream and play quarterback in the NFL.”
Maye’s father played football at UNC in the 1980s and a brother of his, Beau, is on the Tar Heels’ basketball team. Another brother, Luke Maye, was a standout basketball player at UNC from 2015 to 2019, and their mother also attended the school.
As a freshman with the Tar Heels, Maye appeared in four games as a backup to Sam Howell, now the starting quarterback for the Washington Commanders after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. With Maye out of UNC’s bowl game, the Tar Heels may give redshirt freshman Conner Harrell the start at quarterback. Harrell and Max Johnson, a recent graduate transfer from Texas A&M, are expected to compete for the starting job next season.
Other Tar Heels who have declared for next year’s draft include linebacker Cedric Gray, wide receiver Tez Walker, defensive lineman Myles Murphy and center Corey Gaynor. Of that group, only Murphy, per reports, is set to play in the bowl game.
In a statement, Brown thanked his departing players for “all they’ve contributed to Carolina football during their times with the program.”
“It’s been a pleasure to watch them grow and flourish both on the field and off,” Brown said. “We wish them nothing but the best and look forward to watching them represent UNC as they move on to the next chapters of their careers.”
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