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Caleb Williams is the favorite to be the top quarterback taken in the 2024 NFL Draft class. While Williams is projected to go No. 1, a former NFL quarterback believes the “other” quarterback who is projected to be a high draft pick is the best in this class.
Tim Hasselbeck, who played for several NFL seasons and is an ESPN analyst, believes Drake Maye is the top college quarterback eligible for the draft — not Williams.
If Maye would get selected over Williams and go first overall, he would be the first North Carolina player drafted first overall in the common draft era (since 1967). The 2022 ACC Player of the Year is the only FBS player with 7,000+ passing yards and 1,000+ rushing yards over the past two seasons. Maye has the second-most total yards (9,076) in the FBS over the past two seasons (Michael Penix Jr. has more) and is the third-most over a two-year span in ACC history (Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson have more).
Maye’s 7,929 passing yards over the last two seasons are fifth in the FBS and his 62 passing touchdowns and 77 total touchdowns are tied for fifth. His 1,147 rushing yards were also fifth among quarterbacks in FBS.
Maye is a dual-threat quarterback in a league that’s trending in that direction. For a team needing a quarterback, Maye or Williams should be ideal.
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