Drake Maye has an ‘awesome’ meeting with Broncos, Sean Payton

INDIANAPOLIS — The positivity of Drake Maye is contagious.

The North Carolina quarterback and projected early-first-round pick was quick with a smile when he met media Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine. On multiple occasions, he said he congratulated new head coaches on their jobs — specifically Atlanta’s Raheem Morris and Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce.

So, it stood to reason that Maye would have some kind words to say about his conversation with the Denver Broncos and Sean Payton.

“Yeah, it was awesome meeting with Coach Payton,” Maye said, subsequently calling the Broncos head coach “one of the great offensive minds.”

Asked @UNCFootball QB Drake Maye about meeting with Sean Payton and the #Broncos. He said meeting with Payton was “awesome.” Also had some kind words regarding QB coach Davis Webb. pic.twitter.com/zxvDhIUhnW

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 1, 2024

But Drake Maye positively gushed about quarterbacks coach Davis Webb.

“Davis Webb — he seemed right off the bat like one of the great quarterback coaches to play for,” Maye said. “It was just fun being in there with those guys, getting that experience.”

And for Maye, there would be one more bonus if he ends top with the Broncos:

“And Javonte Williams is a Carolina guy out there in Denver,” he added.

DRAKE MAYE ON MAKING THE ADJUSTMENT TO THE NFL

Carolina’s offense wasn’t particularly analogous to the NFL, which is part of what makes the film evaluation of Drake Maye difficult.

But there were some elements that could help the young quarterback’s transition, specifically the incorporation of pistol formations into the Tar Heels’ attack.

“I like that. We did some outside-zone stuff, and some RPO stuff and did some play-action off of it,” Maye explained.

“I think the biggest thing about college (is) there’s not many under-center offenses anymore. Being able to do that, adjust to it with the back to the defense and eyeing safeties in the NFL, so I think that translates to the NFL.”

Still, Maye faces a steep learning curve. And that might mean the best play for the 21-year-old passer is to sit and watch for a while as a rookie behind a more experienced bridge quarterback.

.@UNCFootball had some pistol alignments with Drake Maye this past season, and Maye believes this will help him make the transition to the NFL, where there is a greater propensity to operate under center. pic.twitter.com/HLCI0jazEK

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 1, 2024

If that’s what befalls Maye, he’d have no problem with it.

“I think it’s something that would be an advantage,” Maye said. “There’s always two sides to it. I think it’s going to be a huge help. You see guys where it works out — Jordan Love — and you see instances where going in like C.J. (Stroud) right away can be successful.

“So, whatever they think, I’m ready for both ways, ready to go in there and compete to be the starter — obviously gonna have that mindset either way — but at the same time, I know these guys, they get paid a lot of money to make these decisions.”

Maye can speak from experience of sitting on the bench for a year. He did that in 2021, incubating behind Sam Howell, who started most of the 2023 campaign in Washington — including a Week 2 win over Denver that was arguably Howell’s best performance.

“Oh, it was huge,” Maye said of his year as the understudy. “Learning how to prepare, learning how to create relationships and handle all the media. Sam was in the spotlight, one of the elite guys in college football. So, it was fun to sit behind Sam. He’s become one of my best friends.”

That says a lot for Maye, whose raw tools are obvious, but could be better honed with some time spent watching from the sideline.