North Carolina pro day takeaways: What we learned as Drake Maye works out in front of NFL teams

It was Drake Maye’s turn to put the cherry on top of his pre-draft process, as he threw to a litany of former Tar Heels receivers at the North Carolina pro day on Thursday in front of a drove of NFL evaluators and media members. 

The big-bodied passer threw 70 passes during his throwing session, and while he started with plenty of pace, Maye had a few clear misses on deep out routes and slants early. 

After a quick break to huddle with his receivers to spit out the next series of routes for everyone, Maye got into a groove. The ball left his hands effortlessly, with plenty of velocity, and the accuracy was pinpoint. 

Maye then went into a series of play-action dropbacks and was surgical on those throws, deep down the field and throwing while on the run. There were two perfectly thrown deep balls, the latter of which traveled right around 60 yards in the air on a post into the bucket. 

There were also a few “fadeaway” throws in which Maye attempted to show what it looks like when he has to release the football from an awkward base. 

Maye’s final throw of the session before he moved into red zone work was a teardrop off one leg, right around 55-60 yards deep down the field, perfectly into the arms of his receiver down the middle of the field. 

The blatant miss from a clean pocket, the huge arm, the off-platform throws, those are all trademarks of Maye’s game, so it’s not as if he demonstrated anything “new” in this final audition for the draft. 

The 2024 NFL Draft will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly updated draft order, mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects. 

Also be sure to check out “With the First Pick” — our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen below!