Merril Hoge has a warning for NFL coaches and general managers with picks near the top of the 2024 NFL Draft: Prepare to be on the unemployment line if you select Drake Maye.
Maye is projected to be a top-three pick later this month with the likelihood being that he goes to the Commanders with the No.
“Drake Maye is the kind of player that will get you fired,” Hoge said on WCCO radio.
Hoge compared Maye to Titans quarterback Malik Willis, who was a third-round pick in 2022 and is behind Will Levis on Tennessee’s depth chart.
His last game against [North Carolina State] was probably the most embarrassing display I’ve seen from a guy who is supposed to be an elite franchise quarterback.
He’s everywhere.” In 12 games in 2023, Maye threw for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
In both of the last two seasons, North Carolina stumbled at the end.
The first round of the NFL Draft will take place on April 25.
With picks near the top of the 2024 NFL Draft, Merril Hoge has a warning for NFL coaches and general managers: if you select Drake Maye, get ready to be on the unemployment line.
It is expected that Maye will be selected in the top three later this month, and that he will likely go to the Commanders with the No. 2 pick or the Patriots trailing closely behind them.
On WCCO radio, Hoge stated, “Drake Maye is the kind of player that will get you fired.”. He will make you fired, particularly if you draft him in the top three or five. “.
Caleb Williams of USC is anticipated to be drafted number one. Maye and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU are anticipated to go No. 1 and No. 2 and the opposite. 3. Who will be chosen first is unknown, though.
Hoge likened Maye to quarterback Malik Willis of the Titans, a third-round selection in 2022 who is ranked behind Will Levis in Tennessee’s depth chart.
After playing eight seasons for the Steelers and Bears, running back Willis might be the only player that comes to mind that is as unpredictable as Maye, according to Hoge, an ESPN analyst from 1996 to 2017.
For two years, I researched him. I saw all of his games in the previous season. His most embarrassing performance to date as a quarterback for a supposed elite franchise was undoubtedly against [North Carolina State] in his most recent game. He acts erratically. He’s all over the place. “.
Maye threw for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 12 games in 2023.
The performance was a regression from 2022, when he led the Tar Heels to an ACC Championship game that they lost to Clemson and completed passes for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns, and seven interceptions with much more talent surrounding him.
In the final moments of the previous two seasons, North Carolina faltered.
They were 6-0 before dropping five of their final seven games last season; in 2022, they were 9-1 before dropping their final four games.
Maye apparently had a meeting with the No. 1 overall team, the Patriots. 3rd pick in the draft, held on Friday in person.
New England and Maye were meeting for the third time. Prior to his UNC pro day, Maye supposedly had a meeting with the Washington Commanders as well.
April 25 will mark the start of the NFL Draft’s first round.
