ESPN Insider explains why Washington Commanders should draft Drake Maye
Could the Washington Commanders surprise everyone and take former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft? On ESPN’s NFL Nation Mock Draft, ESPN insider Mike Tannenbaum explained why the Commanders should go with Maye instead of former LSU QB Jayden Daniels.
“Look, Jayden Daniels had a great year, but he also has 488 career rushing attempts. I worry about his build and his ability to take a lot of hits” Tannenbaum said. “You look at someone like Drake Maye, a little bit bigger, more rugged. He reminds me of Justin Herbert, and he also had 16 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons.”
There have been plenty of debates about Maye in terms of where he should be drafted and if he should play right away. Mel Kiper Jr. said Maye should wait a year before he takes the field because he underperformed his final year at North Carolina. Former ESPN NFL expert Merril Hoge believes that Maye will not have success in the NFL.
“Drake Maye is the kind of player that will get you fired,” Hoge said earlier this month. “Especially if you draft him in the top five or top three, he’s going to get you fired.”
New England Patriots will likely select Drake Maye
If Maye doesn’t go to the Commanders, he will likely be selected by the New England Patriots at No. 3 overall since the team traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars during the offseason.
“Yes, they have need areas, but trading out of here would make no sense to me because you have to keep up with teams in your division,” Kiper said in an SportsCenter special earlier this year. “He’s 21 years of age. Does he need to speed up that delivery? Does he need to be a little more precise and accurate? Yes, he does, but the opportunity is there for this organization. …Build up the line, give him some weapons.
“They forgot about Mac Jones. That didn’t work out well. It wasn’t Mac Jones, that was the on the organization,” Kiper continued. “Now this organization has to develop the talent base around Drake Maye.”
Maye’s best season at North Carolina was in 2022 when he threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also led the team in rushing yards with 698 and tallied seven rushing touchdowns. In 2023, Maye rushed for 449 yards and nine touchdowns while throwing for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.