Getty Quarterback Drake Maye should be a top prospect in the upcoming NFL draft.
What if the Chicago Bears traded down just one spot from the No. 1 overall pick and still drafted an elite quarterback prospect in former North Carolina standout Drake Maye?
That scenario is becoming a hot topic, especially after the Bears chose Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator and the Washington Commanders chose Kliff Kingsbury as theirs.
Derrik Klassen, quarterback analyst/guru for the 33rd Team, believes both Maye and Caleb Williams, the two top QB prospects in the upcoming draft, fit in Waldron’s offensive scheme.
Most analysts and insiders believe the Bears are taking Williams at No. 1. But with Kingsbury, who is close with Williams after their time together at USC, going to Washington, the plot has thickened. Many analysts now believe the Commanders, who own the No. 2 overall pick, are going to offer the Bears a nice trade package to swap picks.
What if Shane Waldron Likes Drake Maye Over Caleb Williams?
🎥 #UNC QB Drake Maye with a… left-handed TD 🍿
Klassen believes Waldon can have success with both Williams and Maye. He also thinks the former North Carolina QB is more reminiscent of quarterbacks who have had success in Waldron’s offense, which stems from Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.
“Maye is a little different,” Klassen noted. “Whereas Williams plays to the beat of his own drum within structure at times, Maye is more analogous to what Waldron had in (Geno) Smith or what McVay has with (Matthew) Stafford.”
Klassen also thinks Waldon, who helped revive Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith’s career after a 4,282-yard season in 2022, could see the same type of passer in Maye.
“Maye is a tall, rocket-armed passer who has never seen a throwing window he doesn’t like,” Klassen wrote. “He wants to manage the pocket, throw on time and push the ball down the field aggressively. … It’s so easy to picture Maye throwing all the digs, crossers and posts with which Smith made his money.”
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Maye completed 64.8% of his passes over his last two years in college, averaging 3,964 yards per season while throwing 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. A threat with his legs, Maye also rushed for 16 scores.
Would Bears Be Willing to Trade Down From No. 1 to No. 2?
The Ringer’s Danny Heifetz and PFF’s Brad Spielberger had an interesting exchange on X regarding the subject.
Spielberger wondered if the Bears trading down just a wee bit might not be another Jayson Tatum-Boston Celtics type of situation.
For those who need a point of reference, the Celtics won the NBA draft lottery in 2017 and traded the No. 1 pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the No. 3 pick and a future first-round selection. The Celtics then selected Tatum, who has become a perennial All-Star.
“If Chicago can move back one spot and get Maye, and also get the a 2nd rounder this year and Washington’s first next year, they should do it,” Heifetz wrote.
In his February 4 mock, Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports hypothesized what a move to No. 2 for Maye could look like. In Shapiro’s mock, the Bears would send No. 1 overall, No. 110 overall and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Washington in exchange for the No. 2 and No. 40 overall picks this year, 2025 first- and fourth-round picks and another future first rounder. That seems realistic, although mocks are mocks.
The Bears are going to do their due diligence on every top QB in the draft. But general manager Ryan Poles and company find themselves in a very unique — and rather ideal — situation.
“The Bears can’t make a ‘wrong’ choice either way,” Klassen wrote. “Both Williams and Maye are prospects worthy of the first overall pick. Williams brings creativity and arm elasticity that hardly exists in any other quarterback. Maye offers the familiarity of what this offense had with Smith and the do-or-die mentality that can separate the good from the great.”