I like the trajectory Drake Maye is on. He had some success as a rookie, and he’s a dual-threat guy, where he’ll be picking up stats not only as a passer but as a runner.
The year one test run was a success, particularly with there not being much around him. If we set aside a cameo appearance in Week 18 and a game against the Jets that he left early with an injury, Maye in his 10 full games averaged 223 passing yards, with 15 TDs.
Maye has some experience now, along with a better supporting cast, making it look like he might be ready to start posting middle-of-the-pack passing numbers. Perhaps even above average. After signing Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, there’s a little more experience and leadership in the receiving room.
It’s his legs, however, that might turn Maye into a top-10 quarterback for our purposes. He can move, and he’s not shy about taking off. He averaged 36 rushing yards in those 10 games.
With the stats in front of me, I see that he averaged 7.8 per attempt as a rookie. That’s better than the career-best averages of Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts. This guy can move.
In the last 40 years, only two quarterbacks have carried the ball at least 50 times in a season and averaged more than 7.8 yards per attempt. Randall Cunningham did it twice, and Michael Vick reached 8.5 when he ran for over 1,000 yards back in 2006.
I’m not suggesting Maye will be a more productive runner than Allen, Hurts or Jackson. Those guys are all remarkable in different ways. But I think Maye will be one of the top half-dozen runners among quarterbacks, making him a possibility to move up into the top 10 at his position.
| QUARTERBACKS BY YARDS PER CARRY | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2006 | Michael Vick, Atl. | 123 | 1039 | 8.45 | 2 |
| 1986 | Randall Cunningham, Phil. | 66 | 540 | 8.18 | 5 |
| 1990 | Randall Cunningham, Phil. | 118 | 942 | 7.98 | 5 |
| 2024 | Drake Maye, N.E. | 54 | 421 | 7.80 | 2 |
| 2011 | Michael Vick, Phil. | 76 | 589 | 7.75 | 1 |
| 2004 | Michael Vick, Atl. | 120 | 902 | 7.52 | 3 |
| 2014 | Blake Bortles, Jac. | 56 | 419 | 7.48 | 0 |
| 2024 | Kyler Murray, Ari. | 78 | 572 | 7.33 | 5 |
| 2000 | Donovan McNabb, Phil. | 86 | 629 | 7.31 | 6 |
| 2002 | Donovan McNabb, Phil. | 63 | 460 | 7.30 | 6 |
| 1998 | Steve McNair, Ten. | 77 | 559 | 7.26 | 4 |
| 2014 | Russell Wilson, Sea. | 118 | 849 | 7.19 | 6 |
| 1995 | Mark Brunell, Jac. | 67 | 480 | 7.16 | 4 |
| 2022 | Justin Fields, Chi. | 160 | 1143 | 7.14 | 8 |
| 2018 | Josh Allen, Buff. | 89 | 631 | 7.09 | 8 |
| 1992 | Steve Young, S.F. | 76 | 537 | 7.07 | 4 |
| 2013 | Terrelle Pryor, Oak. | 83 | 576 | 6.94 | 2 |
| 2002 | Michael Vick, Atl. | 113 | 777 | 6.88 | 8 |
| 2019 | Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 176 | 1206 | 6.85 | 7 |
| 2022 | Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 112 | 764 | 6.82 | 3 |
| 2012 | Robert Griffin, Was. | 120 | 815 | 6.79 | 7 |
| 2016 | Colin Kaepernick, S.F. | 69 | 468 | 6.78 | 2 |
| 2010 | Michael Vick, Phil. | 100 | 676 | 6.76 | 9 |
| 1988 | Randall Cunningham, Phil. | 93 | 624 | 6.71 | 6 |
| 1997 | Steve McNair, Ten. | 101 | 674 | 6.67 | 8 |
| 2006 | Vince Young, Ten. | 83 | 552 | 6.65 | 7 |
| 1987 | Randall Cunningham, Phil. | 76 | 505 | 6.64 | 3 |
| 2012 | Colin Kaepernick, S.F. | 63 | 415 | 6.59 | 5 |
| 2024 | Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 139 | 915 | 6.58 | 4 |
| 2000 | Cade McNown, Chi. | 50 | 326 | 6.52 | 3 |
| 2020 | Daniel Jones, NYG | 65 | 423 | 6.51 | 1 |
—Ian Allan