Chicago Bears: North Carolina QB Drake Maye compared to multiple All-Pro QB’s by former Bears employee
Shield your eyes Mitch Trubisky haters.
The University of North Carolina has produced another talented QB, as Drake Maye of the UNC Tar Heels has made a statement with his strong start to his 2023-24 collegiate campaign. So far, Maye has led the Tar Heels to a 6-0 start, their best since the 1997 season, as they currently rank 10th in country (D1). He’s turned heads with his impressive arm talent, mobility in and out of the pocket, and exceptional accuracy and decision making.
His stats are pretty dang good as well. As of last week, Maye has thrown for 1,902 yards, 12 touchdowns, just 4 INTs, and he’s even ran it in the endzone 4 times. This comes after his very impressive 2022-23 season, where he threw over 4,000 yards, 38 touchdowns, and just 7 INT’s. Maye has made a case for Heisman thus far, and if UNC keeps winning, he could lead them to their first College Football Playoff appearance.
Drake Maye dots pic.twitter.com/C389oocc6h
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 17, 2023
Maye stands at 6 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing in at about 230 pounds. His size is ideal for a signal caller at the Pro level, and his impressive tape thus far will keep him in the top-3 range for the upcoming draft. Some have even said Maye could pass the projected number one pick, USC’s Caleb Williams, after Williams’ tough outing in South Bend during a loss to Notre Dame.
Now the question remains, what is Maye’s celling? Where could he go in the draft? Only time will tell, but I predict he’ll be drafted second, or at least be the second QB selected. He’s proven himself thus far and looks to be another Tar Heel talent, like Sam Howell and Mitch Trubisky.
Could the Chicago Bears select Drake Maye, if they do indeed decide to move on from Justin Fields?
Now, here’s the million-dollar question if you’re a fan of the Chicago Bears. Could they move on from Justin Fields this early, and select another young gunslinger with one of their high picks? And more importantly, could they choose Maye over Caleb Williams?
Lots of former Bears have spoken out about how they feel about the QB situation in Chicago, and many appear to have Justin Fields’ back, especially Lance Briggs. You can check out what he had to say about him, here. Many analysts have also defended Fields as well, saying the Bears have many other problems outside of the man under center.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune wrote an article this morning about the possibility of Caleb Williams or Drake Maye to the Chicago Bears. He mentioned that some scouts and former NFL staff think Maye shows similarities to a few current and former All-Pro quarterbacks.
Former Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman, who was the Bears director of pro personnel from 1997-99, called Maye a “a poor man’s Trevor Lawrence’, while others have compared him to Justin Herbert and Carson Palmer.
Biggs also quoted a national scout that was in attendance during the Tar Heels win over Miami last week, as he raved of Maye’s ability to do a lot with a little, referring to the lack of talent around the young QB.
He’s mechanically sound, accurate, very good ball placement. Good anticipation, and just enough to athletic ability to be a run threat. And he’s not surrounded by a lot, he makes a lot with a little. If he was in Alabama (where Maye originally committed) they would be in the National Championship hunt.
It will be interesting to see how this all does play out, as there will be a lot to watch from Justin Fields in the next few months. Obviously, he’ll miss time over the next few weeks due to a thumb injury, but he should return after it’s healed. That’s if Tyson Bagent doesn’t step in and completely shock the NFL and the Chicago Bears, but that seems to be wishful thinking at this point.
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