Daniel Jeremiah: UNC's Drake Maye Comparable to Carson Palmer Ahead of 2024 NFL Draft

There may not be another player who improved their NFL draft stock last season more than North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

A relative unknown going into his first year as a starter, the former five-star prospect shone bright in 2022, throwing for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns, both top-five marks in FBS. He also rushed for 698 yards.

And now, he's viewed as one of the top signal callers in next year's draft class along with USC's Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah sees a bright future for the 20-year-old star, drawing comparisons to former All-Pro Carson Palmer.

"There isn't a perfect comparison that comes to mind after studying Maye," Jeremiah wrote in Maye's scouting report. "The closest comp would probably be former Bengals, Raiders and Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer. Both guys have all the desired traits: size, arm strength, mobility and accuracy. Palmer arrived in the NFL in 2003 with cleaner/crisper footwork, while Maye is a better overall athlete."

It's high praise for Maye as Palmer carved out an illustrious 14-year career in the NFL, spending time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. He made three Pro Bowl appearances after being taken No. 1 overall in 2003 by Cincinnati.

Palmer, who, retired after the 2017 season, ended his career with 46,247 yards and 294 touchdowns, top 15 all-time in both categories.

Maye would be in pretty good shape if he's able to have that type of career in the pros.

However, next year's draft class is expected to be another elite group headlined by Maye and Williams. Jeremiah compared it favorably to the 2020 cycle that produced Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa.

Jeremiah also believes that while Williams seems to be the favorite to be the top selection, Maye has all the talent in the world to push him and make it a difficult decision for evaluators.