It doesn’t help that the untrained eye probably looks at Maye and sees a lot less of the spectacular flair Williams offers on a down-to-down basis. That perception has framed Maye unfairly as the “safest” of the draft-eligible QBs behind Williams, or it’s centered the conversation on his combination of tools — underselling what he’s actually doing on the field and how he projects to the next level.
There is a quality to Maye’s play that reminds me of Justin Herbert at Oregon. Maye’s processing speed and proficiency are already at NFL levels, and his clean and efficient footwork in the pocket allows him to access the entire progression. His arm talent is easy to see on- or off-platform, too, while his throwing motion doesn’t need much fine tuning. And all of Maye’s athletic traits are evident in how he creates offense out of structure as a scrambler — he ranks fifth in the FBS this season in expected points added (EPA) when he tucks and runs.
theathletic.com
