The New York Giants are in the quarterback market this offseason. They’ve been meeting with the 2024 NFL Draft class’s top quarterback prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, including UNC signal-caller Drake Maye.
Widely considered to be a top-three pick in this year’s draft, Maye is solidifying those projections this week, delivering some quotes that will be having teams running to meet and draft the Tarheel. While speaking with the media on Friday, Maye dropped the mic with a line that NFL coaches will get excited over.
Drake Maye to the NFL: “You don’t want to game plan for me”
NFL teams are bound to get riled up over Maye’s mic-dropping moment at the Combine this week. While speaking with the media, Maye shared his mindset entering the draft:
“You don’t want to game plan for me — you want to game plan with me.”
Drake Maye to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero
Game planning for Maye is no easy task. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound signal-caller threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns for UNC in 2023 with only nine interceptions. In 2022, he was even better, slinging the rock for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. Maye has been among the best quarterbacks in college football over the past two years. Game planning with him on your time would definitely be preferred to game planning against Maye.
Maye expresses interest in playing for the Giants
Maye met with the Giants and has positive thoughts regarding his meeting with head coach Brian Daboll and company.
“It was good in there,” Maye said to reporters (h/t SNY). “Meeting with Coach Daboll. I’m a big fan of him. As an offensive mind, he’s one of the best… It was good in there.”
Throughout the pre-draft process, Maye has been training with a player Giants fans are familiar with — franchise legend Eli Manning. Maye shared some insight on his training with Manning at the Combine:
Following Manning around is definitely a good strategy for any quarterback looking to succeed in the New York media market. Manning was the poster boy of New York sports for years and was endlessly praised for his handling of the media during his tenure with the Giants. He has since turned his media professionalism into a media career, headlining the Manning Cast on ESPN with his brother Peyton.
Maye could be a top target for the Giants in the draft
On top of being a stellar talent on the field, Maye has been demonstrating his allure as a person off the field at the Combine. He won’t participate in any of the drills this weekend, but he doesn’t need to. Maye is already locked in as a top-10 pick in this year’s draft and will likely be off the board by the time the Giants are picking at No. 6.
However, there is always the option of trading up for the Giants. If they were to make such a bold move, it could be done in order to land Maye in New York. Maye has the makings of an elite NFL quarterback and who better to coach and develop him than Daboll? Endless praises have been sung for Daboll and his ability to develop quarterbacks, such as the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen.
The Giants will be hoping and praying Maye slips to them at pick six. But with that scenario being unlikely, they will continue to monitor the trade market and consider making a move up to land Maye at the top of this draft.