Best Scheme Fit: Although
he played in a pure shotgun spread offense, his arm strength,
accuracy and anticipation would likely be accentuated in a play-action
offense that utilizes a heavy dose of intermediate and deep throws.
Best Team Fit(s): Vikings, Broncos, Raiders,
Bears, Commanders, Giants, Patriots
Non-bolded times - Good examples of attribute Bolded times - Average/poor examples of attribute
* - How well does his skill set carry over
to the fantasy game? For quarterbacks, a player needs to be a
realistic threat for 4,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards
to be a candidate for a perfect grade. Positional scarcity at
the pro level is also a part of the equation.
Positives
Delivers a beautiful and well-placed deep ball time after
time.
Among the best in college football at throwing over the middle
of the field.
Very comfortable throwing into tight windows and has the
arm strength to pull it off.
Improvisational skills are good for such a young prospect
(will not turn 22 until late August).
Fearless in the pocket, even when he knows he is about to
take a hit.
While he needs to add a bit of muscle, he possesses a great
frame and near-ideal size to play the position.
Negatives
Relative lack of evidence he is comfortable moving through
his progressions consistently.
Short-range accuracy is a bit spotty, usually because he
gets lazy with his footwork at times.
Mostly a line-drive thrower, which requires him to be almost
perfect on any challenging pass attempt.
Possesses enough athleticism to move the chains but is far
from a high-level run threat.
The same fearlessness that serves him well as a passer occasionally
gets him in trouble as a runner.
Sacked once every 13.6 pass attempts during his college career
(70 total).
Bottom Line
Perhaps the most important thing to remember about Maye entering
his first professional season is that he will not turn 22 years
of age until near the end of the preseason. While the difference
between two and three full seasons as a starter may not seem like
a big deal to some, it is often an opportunity for a quarterback
to adjust to the adjustments defenses made to him between his
first and second years. Looking at the statistical differences
between 2022 and 2023, it is clear he missed the presence of a
receiver who could separate as easily as Josh Downs, who declared
for the draft following the 2022 season. Nevertheless, there is
little question Maye has many of the traits that evaluators want
to see in a top-flight quarterback prospect. He has the prototypical
frame for the position and the arm talent/strength to scare defenses.
He will not wilt if his protection breaks down, nor is he scared
to make a throw into a tight window.
Perhaps the most alarming thing in the 300-plus throws I watched
across the 2022 and 2023 seasons was how infrequently he came
off his first read. While the lack of something does not necessarily
make it a weakness, NFL quarterbacks often need to come off their
primary receivers more times in one game than Maye appeared to
across a season's worth of pass attempts. Is he comfortable (or
capable?) of consistently finding his second or third option in
the pattern? He shows glimpses of going through his progression,
so it would be unfair to grade him poorly for it if ACC defenses
were not good enough to force him out of his comfort zone very
often. Maye is a good - but not great - runner, so he will not
have the luxury of leaning on that part of his game early in his
NFL career if his transition as a passer takes a bit. The most
frustrating aspect of his tape may have been how often he was
deadly accurate on throws of 40-plus yards but slightly off on
a pass within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
As one might expect from a redshirt sophomore quarterback, he
puts himself and the ball in harm's way too often. He was sacked
nearly 20 percent of the time he was pressured in 2023 and finished
31st in NFL passer rating (69.0) among the 72 college quarterbacks
who felt pressure on at least 100 drop-backs a season ago. The
biggest question with Maye is whether his biggest perceived weaknesses
are a product of his youth/inexperience or something else. If
the ability to consistently find his second or third options ends
up not being an issue, then his prospects for being a top-tier
NFL quarterback early in his pro career increase exponentially.
Quality coaching should help him cut back on his occasional poor
footwork and eliminate most of his forced throws. The right situation
will matter more for Maye than it will for some other prospects
because he is still relatively raw (which also means it will not
be a good idea for him to start right away), but he has enough
natural talent and makes enough good decisions that he projects
to be more like Lawrence and less like Lock.
Doug Orth has written for FFToday since 2006 and been featured
in USA TODAY's Fantasy Football Preview magazine since 2010. He
is also a high-stakes player who often appears as a guest analyst
on a number of national sports radio shows, such as Sirius XM’s
“Fantasy Drive." Doug is also a member of the Fantasy
Sports Writers Association.
