Since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pulled a second first-round pick from the Houston Texans in a trade earlier in the offseason, the Vikings have presented themselves as a team hoping to advance in order to choose a quarterback they think has the potential to be their franchise quarterback in the future.
Projects, a former NFL general manager The NFL Draft Blockbuster Trade of the Minnesota Vikings
Rick Spielman, a former general manager of the NFL, participated in a mock draft prediction for The 33rd Team. He hypothesized that the Vikings might select University of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick if they trade with the New England Patriots.
“The Minnesota Vikings show initiative by trading up to acquire Drake Maye,” writes Spielman. Maye was a high school teammate of Josh McCown, the quarterback coach for Minnesota. He may not have played as well as he did the year before, but despite this, I believe he is an underappreciated athlete with a special talent and size.
“He can make every throw in the NFL, and I believe Maye would be a great fit in that offense with McCown and Kevin O’Connell.”
Together with Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams, many people consider Maye to be among the best quarterbacks in this year’s class. Spielman’s mock draft places Washington one selection ahead of the Vikings and the LSU signal caller.
A little more reasonable than the former NFL Executive of the Year’s fictitious Justin Jefferson blockbuster, Spielman’s plan calls for the Vikings to send three first-round picks—No. 11, No. 23, and a 2025 first—to select Maye.
Report on Drake Maye’s NFL Draft Scouting
According to Spielman’s Maye projection to the Vikings, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who has had his pre-draft value rise possibly more exponentially than any prospect in this year’s class, will lose out to Minnesota’s signal caller from the Tar Heels.
Over the course of three seasons in Chapel Hill, 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds Maye completed 64.9 percent of his throws for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns against just 16 interceptions.
An AFC Scouting Director described Maye to NFL.com as “big, mobile, and can sling it around.” However, he didn’t play football consistently in 2023. Though it was occasionally difficult to discern because of how his line played in front of him, I believed that his processing was an issue.
Pro Football Focus notes that in 2023, Maye had one of the best deep-passing grades in the country (97.1), and he had the second-highest number of deep yards (1,452). These stats could make him a perfect fit for an offensive scheme that includes Jordan Addison, an emerging deep threat, and Jefferson.
The Scouting Department at Bleacher Report notes of Maye, “Maye is also a good athlete.” Although he isn’t particularly good, he has about the same level of rushing ability as quarterback Daniel Jones of the New York Giants. In addition to having some juice as a scrambler, he is open to designed runs.
Maye is not flawless when it comes to processing, but he is better than poor. Maye executes UNC’s rather easy offense proficiently. He is excellent at staying on schedule, following the play’s outline, and, if necessary, going all the way to his checkdowns.
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