Drake Maye’s Pro Day is due in just a few hours. He was already able to showcase his “Philip Rivers” like tangibles as well as intangibles during the combine, even without throwing. In an interview with Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer, the UNC play caller talked about his combine performance, learning from multiple sports, and how one thing from his college career really stings at him.
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In his two years in North Carolina, Maye threw for 8,018 yards, 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The most incredible thing about his college career was the ease with which he took over the offense. Through his first five games with the Tar Heels, he had the most touchdowns of any quarterback in that stretch. The fit was instant. And so was the success. They went on a 9-1 run that year, losing only to Notre Dame through the first 10 games. But then the bottom fell out.
They ended the season with a 9-5 record losing 4 straight games. Maye still had a record breaking season. He broke Mitchell Tribuisky’s record for most yards thrown in a single season. But it wasn’t enough. The first year as a starter was in the books. And the results didn’t look good for Maye if the viewer believed that wins are a QB stat. Although, other than that column, Maye had balled out in all others.
Next year as well, even though he figured out ways to better his game by adding the element of running, the team still could only manage 8-4 record in the regular season. But the offense was smashing. Thus, Maye believes if he would’ve gotten to the other half of the team as well, he would have gotten through to them. And maybe, things would’ve been different.
Drake Maye Regrets Not Reaching Out to Defensive Side of the Ball
The team faced a challenge when their top receiver Devontez Walker was unable to play due to the NCAA rules. At that point, Maye stepped up. Talking about his experience from that time, the potential top ten pick said, “That time when you face adversity, and you face adversity numerous different times throughout the year, just learn from it” The future NFL quarterback was able to rise above and lead his team to a comeback without their number one receiver. He was able to rally the offense together, but that’s where he missed big. It was only the offense he reached out to. And got through to. The other side of the ball remained bereft of his passion and leadership.
And the 8-4 record still hurts Drake Maye. And more than that, the biggest miss he had is a regret he’ll carry. As they say we regret the things we don’t do more than the ones we do, Maye reflects, “looking back on it, I wish I would have got the whole team. I feel like the impact I had as a guy in that locker room for the entire team would have paid off for us, would have paid off for me, paid more dividends than me getting the offense together. Some of those things, I regret. And those are things I’m taking to my next step and my next chapter in life.”
It will be interesting to see how he translates his learnings to the next stage. And as the mock drafts predict, he has nothing but the brightest spotlights waiting for him in the NFL.
