NFL Exec: Drake Maye 'Scares the Hell out of Me... Needs a Year on the Bench'

Although Drake Maye is considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, one executive believes that he should spend a year on the sidelines before eventually becoming a starter.

"He scares the hell out of me," the anonymous personnel executive told Ben Standig of The Athletic. "Longer thrower with a big arm but not quick release. Nothing feels like it happens in rhythm, and accuracy is average. Needs a year on the bench."

Maye is coming off a strong 2023 season with North Carolina, completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards in 12 games. He also recorded 24 touchdown passes compared to just nine interceptions, finding the end zone nine more times on the ground.

His combination of arm talent and athleticism has made him one of the top overall prospects in the 2024 class. In the latest big board from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department, Maye ranked as the No. 1 quarterback and No. 3 overall player.

B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen was impressed with the 21-year-old, calling him the "prototypical quarterback prospect."

"Size, speed, arm strength; he's got all the tools you look for in a franchise quarterback," Klassen wrote in his scouting report.

While rookie quarterbacks often sat behind veterans for a year or two in the past, first-year signal-callers have been on the field much earlier in their careers throughout recent years. A young passer taking a backseat to a veteran over the past decade isn't completely unheard of, though.

Three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes started just one game during his rookie year with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love also sat behind Aaron Rodgers throughout his first two years with the team before recording 32 touchdown passes in 2023.

However, it would be difficult to imagine Maye coming off the bench if he's selected with one of the top three overall picks on April 25.