NFL Rumors: 4 teams that should trade everything to move up for Drake Maye if he falls

The NFL Scouting Combine took place last week, where the top prospects in college football looked to increase their stock among teams via on-field drills and interviews. As is the case every year, there is a debate as to whether a non-participant is securing or hurting their stock ahead of the NFL Draft. This year, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is part of the discussion.

Maye was long considered a top quarterback prospect in the 2024 draft. But with the emergence of LSU's Jayden Daniels, who put up video game-like numbers to win the Heisman this past season, Maye could have potentially fallen to QB3 prior to the Scouting Combine. But Maye opted against doing drills at the Combine in Indianapolis. During and after the event, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. While McCarthy doesn't have the statistics like his fellow quarterback classmates, he does have the intangibles that teams look for and is a winner.

ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. discussed during "First Draft" Maye's draft prospects. Kiper says that after talking to people, he hears McCarthy being taken over Maye as the third quarterback off the board.

If you had told someone about Maye possibly being the fourth quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL Draft behind McCarthy before this past college football season, you'd be ready to troll this "cold take." Again, this is NFL Draft season, so teams are trying to get everyone off their scent. Could this be a case of a team looking to get Maye to fall to them?

If Maye does, indeed, fall in the NFL Draft, these four teams need to trade up to get him.

4. Denver Broncos need a long-term starting quarterback, Drake Maye fits the bill

The Denver Broncos brought Sean Payton out of retirement to not only be their new head coach but to see if he can fix quarterback Russell Wilson. While Wilson did show improvement this past season, the Broncos and Payton benched him late in the season, hinting that a release could be coming.

Sure enough, the Broncos officially released Wilson from his contract this offseason. Wilson hasn't even played under his five-year, $242.6 million contract, and the Broncos are eating $85 million in dead money for the 2024 season.

It's evident that the Broncos are being molded in Payton's image. The team already released star safety Justin Simmons and traded away wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. Now, it is up to him to find his new quarterback to hopefully lead the team out of the AFC West and into the playoffs in the near future.

The Broncos hold the 12th overall pick in the draft, putting them out of position to take Caleb Williams or even Jayden Daniels. With Maye's draft stock shockingly fluctuating, this is the time for a team like the Broncos to strike. They need to negotiate a trade up the draft board, whether it's with the New England Patriots for the No. 3 pick, the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 4 pick, or the Los Angeles Chargers for the No. 5 pick, to get Maye.