Atlanta Falcons 2024 Quarterback Wish List Rankings

Drake Maye, North Carolina

On a personal note, this is the quarterback who would excite me the most for the Falcons to draft. Imagine a guy who has a ceiling that is comparable to what Andrew Luck's was as a prospect coming out, but without the refinement that Luck had. Drake Maye is a highly intelligent quarterback who understands how to read defenses and take necessary risks. He has prototypical quarterback size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds like what Matt Ryan was and has the same kind of arm that Luck had in that he can offset speeds and maneuver a pocket to try and find the passing lanes while he's going through his reads. The Falcons would love a quarterback like this.

While he's a very complete quarterback already, the drawbacks with Maye come from his mechanical deficits. The floor that Maye has is similar to that of a Jimmy Clausen who seemingly had all the tools but wasn't able to put it together at the next level. He doesn't have the fatal flaws that other quarterbacks in this draft have, but he does do some things that may frustrate a coach or fan base at times. He tends to hold onto the ball too long the way Aaron Rodgers did for the Packers but takes risks like a Brett Favre type. If there was a true gunslinger to bet on in this draft, it's Maye.

The biggest thing that Maye will have to trust in the NFL is his check down options, and in that case, Atlanta could be a fantastic spot for him. Pairing him with Bijan Robinson would give him a guy to check down to that could make house calls from the open field. He'd be a lot of fun throwing the ball over the middle and deep to guys like Kyle Pitts and Drake London. The Falcons need someone to unlock the offense, and Maye could end up being the true key to do all of this. There would be a lot more forgiveness to the particular coach that the Falcons hire with a quarterback like Maye. He fits a lot of different passing schemes.