NFL Combine: How Drake Maye's personality won the day on Friday
INDIANAPOLIS - Imagine showing up for the most important job interview of your life. There's plenty on the line.
In Drake Maye's case, millions are at stake.
After fielding question after question, Maye got a curveball. Do birds exist?
The North Carolina quarterback played along with a smile.
"I took a conspiracy class in college, so I talked a little bit about that," Maye said, oddly prepared for this moment. "I think they are."
In a moment when eyes were waiting to lay on Caleb Williams, Maye let his personality shine the brightest. He's ready to own his coming moment in the NFL down the line. There's a chance that could be with the Chicago Bears.
Maye has the kind of quarterback size every coach wants. He weighs 229-pounds and stands a confident 6-foot-4. In a draft process where prospects are critiqued for being less than that, Maye won't have to worry about those criticisms.
On Friday, he was open about his growth as a player and had no reservations about his personality showing bright. That will serve him well when he gets to the most important parts of his interviews.
Maye's size easily opens him up to plenty of comparisons. Justin Herbert and Josh Allen, two tall and filled out quarterbacks with big arms that fire rockets down the football field.
When asked about what he tries to take from the quarterbacks he is compared to, Maye leaned into the Josh Allen comparison.
"I've never cleared somebody like he did, but I tried to," Maye said of Allen's hurdling ability.
Maye took the time to reflect on his growth as a quarterback, too.
The gravity of the moment where he could explain how he became who he is now, standing at the NFL Combine podium, wasn't lost on him.
He admitted there are times he thinks he could have done more in specific situations in college, with the benefit of hindsight. However, those moments are in the past.
"The biggest measurement for quarterbacks is wins and losses," Maye said. "I wouldn't redo anything. I put it all out there and left it all out."
Those deeper moments gave way to a few lighter moments. Such as when Maye was asked about what event he would add to the NFL Combine.
For the record, Maye said he would add a 3-point shooting contest.
"I think basketball kind goes into play with being an athlete and being able to shoot the rock," Maye said.
The Bears could use an athlete at quarterback like Maye. He's got the size and the means to play the position at a high level. It's not lost on the Bears, who met with Maye at the combine.
The allure of Chicago is both practical and sentimental for Maye. He knows DJ Moore is in Chicago. Cold-weather games are attractive to him. He said a good defense usually always exists in Chicago.
He's even friends with ex-Bear Mitchell Trubisky.
The idea of Chicago is attractive to Maye, and he could leave an impressive enough mark on the Bears to begin attracting that coaching staff this week.
Maye doesn't wear all of his emotions on his sleeve. He said Friday, he likes to "work in the dark, work in silence," but his personality shining through led to more insights into how he would fit on an NFL team.
He doesn't mind sitting behind Sam Howell if he were to head to Washington. Those two are buddies from their Chapel Hill days. In Chicago, he'd be expected to be the kind of quarterback the Bears have never had.
Is that stress a lot to think about, being expected to be a quarterback savior for teams?
Sure, but Maye's personality is born from a strong foundation that will serve him well.
"Just having them," Maye said. "Finding ways outside of football to have that kind of thing to fall on. Where its my family or my faith and just having that with me is huge for me."
NFL Combine: Caleb Williams didn't have to speak. He showed us he's ready to star instead
Williams, who is not working out at the NFL Combine, could have skipped it entirely. He still made time to set the record straight in multiple ways. He's ready to be a star in the NFL.