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UNC quarterback Drake Maye is one of the best quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, and many a sume that he is battling Jayden Daniels to be the No. 2 selection behind Caleb Williams.Maye had his best chance to stake his claim to that No. 2 spot during his pro day. He skipped working out at the 2024 NFL Combine, so a lot was riding on his performance in front of scouts Thursday.Things didn’t start all that well for Maye. He misfired on a couple of throws, and that put him at risk of logging a disappointing day.Fortunately, Maye rebounded from there and put together an impre sive display in the deep pa sing portion of his workout. That was enough for him to stay close to Daniels and make D’Angelo Russell Jersey Washington’s choice at No. 2 that much more difficult.Here are Sporting News’ takeaways from Maye’s roller-coaster pro day.MORE: | Maye has a solid arm, good downfield Ky Bowman Jersey pa sing abilitiesIt’s fair to call the beginning of Maye’s workout a bit uneven. He didn’t hit on all of his pa ses in the short-to-intermediate range, leaving some wondering if he would have a rocky day.However, once the 6-4, 220-pound junior began throwing the ball downfield, the crowd on hand for his pro day was thoroughly impre sed.Maye consistently hit his receivers on downfield pa sing plays, launching several 60-yard throws that hit his targets in stride. He gave his pa s-catchers a chance to catch each shot play, putting touch on the ball when appropriate and throwing with more velocity when trying to drive the ball downfield.Drake Maye letting it rip ‘s Pro Day on : NFL (@NFL) If Maye’s major goal at his pro day was to showcase his strong deep pa sing skills, mi sion accomplished. His arm strength and consistency throwing 50-plus yards likely left NFL teams salivating about his potential as a playmaking pa ser.PRO DAY TAKEAWAYS: | | | Maye threw well when off-balanceMaye didn’t just throw well downfield from the pocket, but he did so on the move, as well. He threw up a couple of deep-shot, fadeaway pa ses and still hit his receivers in rhythm.Okay this throw is just silly Drake Maye at ‘s Pro Day on : NFL (@NFL) These throws demonstrated that Maye has the requisite arm strength needed to complete pa ses when he isn’t able to Nate Thurmond Jersey fully set his feet, something that is becoming increasingly important in the modern NFL.Of course, itwasn’t surprising to see Maye succeed while off-balance. He has several fadeaway pa ses on tape from his time at UNC.That may lead some to reference the cautionary tale of Zach Wilson and his magnificent pro day that preceded the Jets making him the No. 2 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. NFL scouts and talent evaluators will likely view Maye’s abilities more favorably, as his functional mobility and arm strength might get him out of trouble a couple of times per game.MORE: Maye’s outside-the-numbers accuracy needs a Marquese Chriss Jersey bit of workPerhaps Maye was just a bit nervous or amped about his pro day, but he mi sed a couple of throws that should have been easy ones.Both throws were similar. The first saw Maye try to hit his receiver on a 20-yard out route. He airmailed it, giving the receiver no shot to make a play on the ball.Drake Maye airmails a pa s early in his work out Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) Later in the workout while throwing to the left sideline, Maye mi sed a throw in a nearly identical fashion. He threw it well over his receiver’s head and it came to the ground deep onto the sideline.Maye had several other to ses to the outside that were caught by his receivers, and some were thrown with pinpoint precision. It’s fair to wonder whether his mi ses could be chalked up to nerves.Either way, NFL teams will note that this area of his game might Andre Iguodala Jersey need work. That may move him behind other comparable pa sers, such as Jayden Daniels, for quarterback-needy teams that target this area of the field often.
