INDIANAPOLIS – Drake Maye sure sounds like he is being groomed to be a Giants quarterback.
Whether he is available when the Giants are on the clock in the 2024 NFL Draft and whether the Giants actually pull the trigger on his selection are weeks from being decided, but Maye left little doubt that he is cut from the mold Friday by singing Eli Manning’s praises.
“Big fan,” Maye said. “I think Eli would say he’s probably seen me too much. I’ve been following him around. It’s always on Zooms. I think the biggest thing is being a sponge and soaking it all in. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know it all, being up there with Eli.”
Maye is training for the draft with David Morris – Manning’s friend and former backup quarterback at Ole Miss – so it made for a natural connection.
The irony is that Morris also trains Daniel Jones, who was Manning’s teammate as a rookie, became his successor and now could have to fight to keep the starting job against any quarterback the Giants potentially add this offseason as he rehabs from a torn ACL.
“Small world of connections,” Maye said.
Jones received a shoutout from Maye with Commanders quarterback Sam Howell as a Charlotte-area quarterback.
While Jones went to Duke, Maye and Howell were North Carolina teammates, and Maye could supplant Howell if the Commanders make him the No. 2 pick.
If Maye slips past No. 2, the Giants could target him at No. 6 or try to move up as high as No. 3 in a trade with the Patriots. It’s a lot to think about, but Maye is heeding Manning’s advice.
“Eli [told me] just be myself, don’t be somebody I’m not,” Maye said. “At the end of the day, don’t give the NFL too much spotlight or credit. Go out there and play ball.”
Another suitor for Maye’s talents could be the Broncos, who are a candidate to trade up from No. 12.
Former Giants quarterback Davis Webb – a disciple of head coach Brian Daboll – is in his second season as the Broncos quarterbacks coach after starting his playing career with the Giants as a potential Manning successor in 2017 and ending it as Jones’ teammate in 2022.
Webb is scheduled to be on the field to coach quarterback drills Saturday.
“One of the great quarterback coaches you can play for,” Maye said of Webb.