5 teams that should sell the farm to trade up, draft Drake Maye
Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. Here are five teams that should trade up to select the quarterback.
By Scott Rogust
NFL Draft season is almost upon us. The 2023 college football regular season has officially wrapped up, while the NL is heading towards its final month of the campaign before the start of the playoffs. College players are either getting ready for their respective bowl games or entering the transfer portal to join a new program. But some of these players have a decision to make. By Jan. 15, 2024, they will have to decide whether they want to declare for the NFL Draft or return to college for another year.
On Monday, one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 draft class officially made their decision. North Carolina redshirt sophomore Drake Maye has declared for the NFL Draft.
NEWS: North Carolina redshirt sophomore quarterback Drake Maye tells ESPN that he’s forgoing the remainder of his eligibility at UNC to declare for the NFL Draft. He’s a strong contender for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/trECksvgql
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 11, 2023
While most of the attention has been on USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who is a former Heisman Trophy winner, Maye is right up there with him in terms of talent. Maye is probably the more polished passer, while Williams is more of the Patrick Mahomes-type playmaker. Both quarterback prospects have been valued highly, with various analysts calling them the best quarterbacks out of college since Trevor Lawrence in 2020 and Andrew Luck in 2012.
In all likelihood, Williams and Maye could be members of either the Chicago Bears or New England Patriots, based on how the draft order is looking as of Monday, Dec. 11. But with the Arizona Cardinals sitting second overall and having a quarterback in Kyler Murray, they could present themselves as the perfect trade partner for a team looking for a franchise signal caller.
Here are five teams that should trade the farm to move up and select Maye.
Giants should trade up for Drake Maye
Yes, the New York Giants recently paid Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million contract earlier this year, but it has a unique structure. That's because the team can feasibly move on from Jones after the 2025 season.
Jones had a tremendous 2022 campaign in his first year under head coach Brian Daboll. While his numbers weren't flashy, he was able to use his arm and legs to get wins and lead the Giants to the playoffs for the first time in his career. Not only that, but Jones helped lead the team to a Wild Card Round victory over the Minnesota Vikings and gave the franchise their first playoff win since Super Bowl 46.
But this season, Jones had a year he would like to forget. The offensive line failed to take the leaps and bounds the Giants had expected, leaving Jones little time in the pocket to look downfield to find an open receiver or tight end. Then, injuries that maligned him early in his career became a problem again. He suffered a neck injury in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, and Jones returned in Week 9 against the Las Vegas Raiders, only to suffer a torn ACL after one-quarter of play.
The regime of Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen have stressed patience with the fans and owner John Mara to build a contending team for the foreseeable future. Jones has been a good quarterback, but that may be his ceiling, just a good quarterback. Getting a potential franchise-changer in Maye could help accelerate the rebuild. Plus, they have some extra draft capital in the form of a 2024 second-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks after the Leonard Williams trade.