NFL analyst has blunt warning about Drake Maye
Nov 11, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
One NFL analyst is offering up a warning to any team that might be considering making Drake Maye their quarterback of the future.
Former ESPN analyst Merril Hoge made clear in an interview with Henry Lake of WCCO that he sees Maye as a draft bust waiting to happen. In fact, Hoge went so far as to refer to Maye as “the kind of player that will get you fired.”
“Drake Maye is the kind of player that will get you fired,” Hoge said, via Chris Schad of Athlon Sports. “Especially if you draft him in the top five or top three, he’s going to get you fired.”
Hoge dismissed Maye as “erratic” and unfavorably compared the quarterback to Malik Willis, who has failed to lock down an NFL starting job.
“Willis might be the only guy that I can think of that is as erratic as Maye,” Hoge added. “I studied him for two years…I watched every one of his games last year. …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 erratic. He’s everywhere.”
Hoge has been studying NFL prospects for a long time, and a number of his controversial quarterback evaluations have aged quite well. The warning is not worth dismissing outright, at least.
Interestingly, Hoge is also down on the consensus top quarterback in this year’s class, which is an even bolder opinion than his Maye take.
