Arizona Cardinals need to hop on the Drake Maye express in 2024

The University of North Carolina stud has the tools to be a superstar at the quarterback position for the Arizona Cardinals.

Back in late April, Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort orchestrated a trade that included next year's first-round choice from the Houston Texans. As a result of that agreement, the Redbirds could potentially be presented with an opportunity during the 2024 NFL Draft that's too enticing to pass up.

If the projections by the experts turn out to be correct, Arizona may have chosen the perfect organization to strike a deal with. The Texans, like the Cardinals, are expected to be downright awful this coming season. Could Ossenfort be armed with a pair of opening-round picks that are at or near the top of the '24 draft?

For the sake of this article, let's presume that both the Cards and Houston are as bad as advertised during the 2023 campaign. Loaded with valuable ammunition next spring, Ossenfort could change the fortunes of one of the most downtrodden franchises in sports. That could be especially true if the GM and his cohorts zero in on a quarterback who has the tools to lead "Big Red" to it's first-ever Super Bowl championship.

Drake Maye, a stud signal-caller out of the University of North Carolina, could be the Cardinals' savior. The Tar Heels star has both the physical attributes and intangibles that are required to succeed at football's toughest position. Maye is blessed with an impressive amount of arm strength, and is also equipped with the running ability that can make lives miserable for defensive coordinators everywhere.

Drake Maye is a better fit for the Arizona Cardinals than USC's Caleb Williams

Arizona fans need to forget about Caleb Williams, the USC quarterback who many have mentioned as a possible replacement for current starter Kyler Murray. At 6 foot 1, the Trojans leader is just a wee bit taller than the diminutive Murray. Does the "Red Sea" really need to suffer through another signal-caller who could struggle to see over the much bigger offensive and defensive linemen that exist at the professional level?

At 6 foot 5, 220 pounds, Maye has no such issues. Last year, the sophomore completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns. Maye also did damage with his legs, racking up another 698 yards and seven scores on the ground.

The fact that Murray regressed during his fourth year in the league is a bit alarming. It's not outlandish to think that Michael Bidwill would want to rid himself of Murray, in the same way that Arizona's owner sent Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury packing following last season's debacle.

Maye will have another chance to showcase his tremendous talent during the '23 campaign. In fact, the 20-year-old could even leapfrog Williams in the eyes of the draft evaluators by the end of the year. Rest assured, both Ossenfort and the Cards scouting department will be paying close attention.

(Statistics provided by College Football Reference)