Merril Hoge explains shocking takes on Drake Maye, Caleb Williams

Retired player and current NFL analyst Merril Hoge has once again generated headlines with a take about an advertised top-tier prospect.

According to Lou DiPietro of Audacy, Hoge said during a Monday morning appearance on Washington, D.C. sports radio station 106.7 The Fan that he "wouldn’t draft" North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye in the first round of the 2024 player-selection process. 

"There are a bunch of things that bother me – he’s extremely inconsistent, his accuracy and processing are inconsistent, he misses a lot of hots, he’s not extremely athletic, and I find him more stiff," Hoge said about Maye. "He's got a longer throwing motion which allows more hits in our league than he gets in college, and I’m just bothered by it." 

Hoge raised eyebrows throughout the NFL community when he controversially said earlier this month he believes USC Trojans star signal-caller Caleb Williams is "not special." Mock drafts posted on a weekly basis routinely predict the Chicago Bears will select Williams with the first overall pick this spring, and such forecasts commonly list either Maye or LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels as being the draft's second choice.

"When you watch him function in the pocket, even when it's a clean pocket and he's got four seconds, when you look through his progressions, a lot of times you’ll let the first guy go because it's college, and he knows he can make some plays happen," Hoge said about Williams. "USC is a pure college system, and in college, they play on the perimeter. In the NFL, we move them in the middle and now you got to play in the middle, and now you got defenses that can scheme well, so you have to function from the pocket. That’s going to be a big hurdle for him. More than likely, he is not going to a playoff team where he’ll sit for a year like Patrick Mahomes did (with the Kansas City Chiefs). If he’s mentally weak, they will destroy you." 

Meanwhile, Hoge added he would take Daniels because the LSU product is "very accurate and processes things very well compared to" Maye. Assuming Williams goes off the board via pick No. 1, the Washington Commanders are expected to grab either Daniels or Maye with the second selection. 

Andrew Holleran of The Spun noted that Hoge accurately predicted ahead of the 2014 draft that quarterback Johnny Manziel wouldn't find long-term success in the NFL. Manziel flamed out of the league after just two seasons, but his story combined with Hoge's comments probably won't cause either Williams or Maye to fall too far down this year's draft order. 

"When you see an inconsistent thrower in college, and these pockets are clean and people are wide open...when you create a dirty pocket for them, it gets worse," Hoge said about his evaluations.