Merril Hoge Rips Drake Maye, Calls Quarterback ‘Marginal’

Former ESPN analyst Merril Hoge went all-in with his criticism of Drake Maye on Wednesday, calling the North Carolina quarterback “marginal.”

For most of the offseason, Maye has been linked to the Patriots leading up to the NFL draft, and Hoge believes the prospective NFL signal caller is too inconsistent to make it in the league.

“He’s marginal at best,” Hoge told WEEI’s Andy Gresh and Christian Fauria. “…Inconsistency alone, the inconsistency in throwing the football and processing, that’s just some of the problems. There’s a whole litany of things you have to correct.”

Hoge added that most scouts might say that quarterbacks can be taught processing and other areas can be fixed or worked on, but in his opinion, accuracy is not one of them.

“You can dial it in a little bit,” Hoge said. “But if you’re not an accurate passer, you’re an inconsistent passer — that is going to be magnified in the National Football League.”

The former media personality said he’s heard Maye compared to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen but adamantly disagrees.

“He is not even close to Josh Allen,” Hoge said. “… I see nothing about Josh Allen. … There’s nothing, like nothing, but that’s what people are going to expect.”

Given the fact the Patriots are in the middle of a rebuild and in desperate need of a new franchise quarterback, Hoge just doesn’t think Maye is the answer.

“You’re trying to build a team,” Hoge said. “You’re trying to build a championship. Teams win championships, no quarterback is gonna win all the time. … But that guy can set you back five years in the organization based on all the issues that he had in college, and that will be magnified in the National Football League.”