New Rumor Gives Hope to QB Drake Maye Being in Play for Broncos

Is there a chance Drake Maye could fall to the Denver Broncos at No. 12 overall? A new rumor has created a glimmer of hope.

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye has been viewed as one of the consensus 'Big 3' at the position in the 2024 NFL draft. Most mock drafts from credible publications have him going No. 2 overall to the Washington Commanders. 

Maye didn't participate in the Shrine Bowl, nor the Senior Bowl, and yet, his draft stock could be dropping based on the NFL rumor mill. According to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, one NFL evaluator told him that Maye could be "the quarterback that falls" in the 2024 draft.

Zierlein purportedly told that to NFL.com's draft guru Daniel Jeremiah, too, which seems to be where the Maye-is-falling rumor started. 

𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: One #NFL evaluator told @LanceZierlein that he thinks Drake Maye could be the quarterback that falls in this year’s draft, he told @MoveTheSticks

Maye is currently projected to go anywhere from 1st to 3rd in the draft. Could he fall? pic.twitter.com/AcvAKuBMjE

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) February 5, 2024

However, testing the veracity of this Maye rumor, Jeremiah doesn't seem to buy it, as he still has Maye ranked as his No. 2 quarterback behind only USC's Caleb Williams and the fourth-best prospect overall. Here's what Jeremiah wrote about Maye in his top-50 big board article. 

Maye has prototypical size, athleticism and arm strength. He has quick feet and quick hands, but his delivery can get long at times. He’s a gifted thrower who drives the ball without much foot space in the pocket (including with defenders hanging on him). He can take pace off the ball on swings and shallow crossers. He has a nice touch on bucket throws down the field. He is athletic to escape and create with his legs and he’s tough to tackle in space. He is ultra-competitive as a runner, something he'll need to dial back a bit at the next level. His pass protection wasn’t good last season at North Carolina and there weren’t always answers in the route to bail him out, which led to some poor decisions and carelessness with the ball. Overall, Maye has some things to clean up, but he has every ingredient to be a top-tier starter at the game's most important position. 

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It's also worth mentioning that Jeremiah still had Maye going to Washington at No. 2 overall in his latest mock draft. However, scouring all the sources, if there's anything to the Maye-is-falling rumor, it's because of LSU's Jayden Daniels. 

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has long been viewed as QB3 in the 2024 draft class, but rumors abounded at the Senior Bowl last week that Daniels could leapfrog Maye in the pecking order. So, Maye could go No. 3 overall to the New England Patriots instead of No. 2 overall? 

Not exactly what we'd call a draft-day plummet. But this is the scuttlebutt. 

More likely, any notion of Maye's draft stock falling is due to one of the quarterback-desperate teams picking between No. 4-10 overall trying to tank his stock. Think about it. If you covet the Tarheels signal-caller and know that, as it stands, he's out of reach for you, why not try stirring the pot in hopes that he might fall to your team? 

NFL espionage is a thing, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that anonymous "evaluator" who told Zierlein that Maye could fall was indulging in some wishful thinking, at best, and some clandestine tampering to tank his stock, at worst. Time will tell. 

It's no mystery why Maye has been viewed as a sure-fire top-3 draft pick, though. As Jeremiah wrote, he's got that prototypical 6-foot-4, 230-pound size, and the tool kit he brings to the NFL table is ridiculous. 

As an entrenched starter at North Carolina the past two seasons, Maye passed for 7,929 yards and 62 touchdowns, with just 16 interceptions. Oh, and by the way, he also rushed for 1,147 yards and 16 more touchdowns over that span. Yeah, he'd be an ideal fit for nearly any NFL team. 

Sean Payton would love a shot at Maye, and if another Senior Bowl rumor is true, the Denver Broncos could be gearing up to make a blockbuster move up the draft board to land one of the Big 3 QBs. It's possible that Daniels could leapfrog Maye in the final tally, but if Payton were bent on landing the Tarheels quarterback, he'd have to package a deal that secured the No. 2 overall pick. 

After all, Williams is being discussed as the 'LeBron James of QBs.' He's going first overall. It's fait accompli. 

But when the night of April 27 concludes, I'll be very surprised if Maye isn't the second quarterback off the board, and at No. 2 overall. Now, when it comes to the Broncos having a snowball's chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of trading up from No. 12 overall to No. 2, I might be surprised — but not shocked. 

That surprise would stem from either Washington or New England suddenly having a change of heart and being willing to move back to No. 12 in exchange for two first-round picks, a 2025 second- and third-rounder, and... Patrick Surtain II. It'll take a king's ransom, indeed, for the Broncos to trade up into the top-3, and whether fans like it or not, the possible inclusion of Surtain as a sweetener could be the deal-maker or deal-breaker. 

Even then, it's hard to beat a wide-open shot at Maye or Daniels if you're a QB-needy team like Washington or New England, which is why both clubs have signaled an unwillingness to deal. It'd take a slobber knocker of an offer to suddenly pique either team's interest. 

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