Latest Drake Maye rumors will make his harshest critic squirm

The 2024 NFL Draft has arrived, where fans will get to see where the top prospects in college end up in the pros. The first round will be dominated by the quarterbacks, with the potential of six being off the board by the end of the night. One of those prospects is North Carolina's Drake Maye, who had long been considered at the top of the 2024 class.

While the hype machine has been around Maye since he took over for Sam Howell, it has depleted quite a bit. That can be attributed to LSU's Jayden Daniels wowing the football world this past season to win the Heisman and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy impressing teams through workouts and interviews with teams throughout the pre-draft process. Plus, a down year for Maye with the Tar Heels has experts and scouts questioning his ability to transition to the pros.

One of Maye's harshest critics is former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Merril Hoge. During an appearance on WEEI, Hoge told Andy Gresh and Christian Fauria that Maye was "marginal at best" due to inconsistencies throwing the football, with processing, and more. Hoge also said that any team that takes him with the third overall pick will set their franchise back by multiple years.

“You’re trying to build a team,” Hoge said, h/t NESN. “You’re trying to build a championship. Teams win championships, no quarterback is gonna win all the time. … But that guy can set you back five years in the organization based on all the issues that he had in college, and that will be magnified in the National Football League.”

Let's just say that there are teams that aren't exactly agreeing with Hoge's analysis of Maye, based on the latest rumors.

Drake Maye rumored to be going third overall in NFL Draft, whether to Patriots, Giants, or Vikings

Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that the New York Giants have been trying to trade up for the No. 3 pick, which belongs to the New England Patriots, with the belief that it's for Maye.

Meanwhile, Patriots insider Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston says to expect New England to take Maye with the third-overall pick, unless the Giants or Minnesota Vikings "makes them an offer they just can't refuse." AKA, a Godfather offer for the pick.

The Patriots, Giants, and Vikings all have needs at the quarterback position.

The Patriots watched Mac Jones flame out after the departure of Josh McDaniels and dealt him to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason. With that, the Patriots would have their choice of Maye or McCarthy with the No. 3 overall pick. But de facto general manager Eliot Wolf has fielded trade calls from interested teams. But, it sounds like they would only do it if they hold they get a huge haul of picks in return.

The Giants have an out from Daniel Jones' contract after the 2024 season, despite signing him to the four-year, $160 million deal just one year ago. But, general manager Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll, and the entire Giants organization have done a lot of homework on the quarterback class, hinting heavily that this regime wants to get their own signal caller. That, and Jones suffered two injuries this past season, adding further concerns about his future as a long-term option for the team.

As for the Vikings, they watched Kirk Cousins leave for a four-year, $180 million deal from the Atlanta Falcons. Thus far, the team has Sam Darnold as their QB1 on the roster. The team made a deal with the Houston Texans to acquire the No. 23 pick to pair alongside the No. 11 selection. With that, they have the ammunition to make a trade up into the draft to land a quarterback. Maye does make sense, considering current quarterbacks coachJosh McCown was an assistant on his high school football team.

While there are concerns not just from Hoge, but from anonymous scouts and executives as well. But there's obviously a lot of upside he has, and teams are interested, including those to give up future assets to acquire him.