1.02: Drake Maye, QB - UNC
One major concern I have regarding Caleb Williams is his size. Until I see confirmation he is over 6'0" tall, I am going to assume his measurements have been inflated in the same sense other players were coming up an inch or two shorter when measuring in for Senior Bowl week. If Williams is indeed 6'1" and 205 pounds then I'll feel better about his future in the NFL. One thing that isn't a concern when talking about Drake Maye is his size. Maye is listed at 6'4" and 230 pounds. Even if inflated, he is still going to come in no shorter than 6'2".
When comparing Caleb Williams to Drake Maye, there are not many similarities in their playing style. Williams definitely has the higher ceiling, but I'd argue that Maye has the higher floor. He has a strong arm, is great from inside the pocket, and has more mobility than most give him credit. Maye plays the game in a similar fashion to Justin Herbert but is a better prospect than Herbert was coming out of Oregon. He can throw off of his back foot while on the move. He can make other off-platform throws too, but not in the same way as Caleb Williams.
In this scenario, Ryan Poles has Maye ranked close enough to Caleb Williams that he's fine with landing a large amount of future draft capital to trade down and take Maye with the second-overall pick in the draft. Will this go down as a horrible decision like Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes? Or will Williams continue to be a first-overall pick who never wins a Super Bowl with his first team — making Ryan Poles look more like a genius?
Don't let that UNC uniform fool you. If Caleb Williams wasn't in this draft, teams would be foaming at the mouth for Drake Maye.