There have been some debates about whether the Chicago Bears got their first overall pick wrong in 2024 with quarterback Caleb Williams over Drake Maye, who ended up going third overall to the New England Patriots.
That debate has raged on, with Maye taking the Patriots to Super Bowl LX while Williams led the Bears to the NFC Divisional Round, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams. It's safe to say that even if Maye made it further in the postseason, his Super Bowl performance did not help his case much.
Maye finished the Super Bowl, completing 27 of 43 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a fumble loss. The Patriots lost to the Seahawks 29-13.
Drake Maye fumbles the Super Bowl, helping Caleb Williams' case as number one pick
Sure, Maye made it further than Williams did in the playoffs, but it could be argued that one, Williams played better in the postseason, and two, Maye had an easier road to the Super Bowl. There are many factors that support them.
Maye completed 58.3% of his passes for 828 yards and six touchdowns and four interceptions with a fumble loss in four postseason games. Williams, meanwhile, had a 52.2% completion percentage for 618 yards and four touchdowns to five interceptions. Stats may show that Maye was better than Williams, but Williams had more clutch throws against good defenses.
The Patriots faced the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans, who have strong defenses but have historically struggled in the postseason, with the teams combining for six turnovers against New England. In the AFC Championship game, New England faced a Denver Broncos team who did not have their starting quarterback with Maye only scoring 10 points of offense for the Patriots.
Williams had to face off against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card and the Rams in the Divisional Round, with both teams having strong seasons despite the Packers being banged up. Both secondaries are strong and gave Williams fits, but the young quarterback still made clutch throws in those games, from the Rome Odunze fourth down throw against the Packers to the game-tying touchdown pass to Cole Kmet in the fourth quarter of the Rams game.
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The truth is, there isn't much difference right now between Maye and Williams, as Williams might be athletically gifted, but Maye is more efficient in the pocket. Nobody should be saying there's a huge difference, as Williams will have a shot in Year 3 to truly separate himself from Maye.