Drake Maye is setting the bar high for himself.

"Back in the day, I grew up a big Carolina Panthers fan, so watching Cam Newton, he was awesome," Maye told Bleacher Report Tuesday when discussing which quarterback he attempts to emulate.

"But in terms of modeling my game after? I think maybe Josh Allen or maybe Joe Burrow. I like Burrow's mindset and his competitiveness. All three of those guys love to win. So Cam Newton making plays because he was the best at it, and then those other two guys for my skill set."

If the North Carolina quarterback prospect is going to be some kind of combination of Newton, Allen and Burrow, almost every team in the league should be doing everything in their power to get in position to select him during Thursday's NFL draft.

But he isn't the only one setting the bar high when evaluating his game.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department listed Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert as Maye's pro comparison. Herbert is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL with an Offensive Rookie of the Year and three seasons of more than 4,000 passing yards on his four-year resume, so it is a head-turning comparison to say the least.

Maye is one of the headline prospects in a draft that is loaded with quarterback talent, as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy are also widely expected to be early picks. Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. could slot in right after them, meaning six or more signal-callers taken in the first couple rounds would be anything but a surprise.

So what will an NFL team that chooses Maye from that group be getting in return?

"A guy who can do it all," he said. "I think I'm a competitor, not one of those guys who is going to come in here and be a boasting rookie. I'm going to try to earn their respect and build relationships. And from there, just improve on my play. I'm just excited to get a fresh start, I've never lived outside of North Carolina. I'm excited to go to a new city with a strong fanbase. I'm excited to meet a new team and show off my skill set."

While many expect the Chicago Bears to select Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, B/R's NFL Scouting Department actually ranked Maye as its best quarterback and third-best overall player in the draft behind Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in its latest big board.

It also called Maye the most pro-ready of the quarterbacks and highlighted his athleticism, arm strength and accuracy when throwing to all three levels.

That combination of skills allows him to escape the pocket when needed, pick up yards with his legs, hit underneath throws against zone coverage and over-the-top throws against press coverage, and deliver even when facing pressure from the star defensive linemen he is about to face at the next level.

"Throwing across the middle," Maye said when asked what part of his game translates the best to the NFL.

"Big 6'5" guy, can stand in the pocket and deliver throws across the middle. It's an asset to see over the big linemen and hit seam shots to the tight ends or dig routes. Also, I can extend plays. In the NFL, something is not going to be open all the time. So you have to go make a play, and I think my game translates to that whether it's with my feet or making throws outside the pocket."

That overall skill set also helped him thrive in college.

Maye arrived at North Carolina as a highly-regarded 4-star prospect and the No. 9 overall quarterback in the recruiting class of 2021, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He wasted no time establishing himself as a star when he became the starter in 2022 and ended up winning ACC Player of the Year.

He completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions that season and shined in marquee games with five touchdowns and zero interceptions against Notre Dame and three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the Holiday Bowl against Oregon.

NFL draft hype only grew heading into the 2023 campaign as a result. While his numbers dipped a bit, he was still excellent as he completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

But it won't be the statistics or performances in big games that he remembers the most when reflecting back on his time with the Tar Heels.

"The locker room moments," he said. "Being in the locker room after a big win or being in the players' lounge and playing ping pong. There will be some of the football stuff, but you remember more of the relationships and talking to the guys. I feel like when we come back in 10 years, we won't talk about the games as much. We'll talk about the time they did something stupid in the locker room or something like that."

Maye is continuing to build relationships and recently partnered with Lowe's to be part of the Lowe's Home Team.

As an official partner of the NFL, Lowe's helped build the main draft stage that will be used Thursday in Detroit. Drake met with some of those who built the stage and also helped provide an experience of a lifetime for a local Detroit contractor by inviting him to the draft and letting him know that he will have the opportunity to announce one of the picks during Saturday's coverage.

"The best thing about Lowe's, yeah they get some athletes like me, but they really do the work outside in the community," Maye said. "Giving back to people. That means a lot for someone with my platform to share those experiences."

He will also help with other projects in the community and said it was a natural partnership to pursue.

"First off, Lowe's is a North Carolina company," Maye said. "Growing up in North Carolina, it was an easy fit. From there, I got this opportunity and a chance to be the newest member of their Home Team with guys like Christian McCaffrey and Travis Kelce, which is a pretty good group. … Them giving back to the community means so much to me."

Now that Maye is a member of the Lowe's Home Team, the next question is which NFL team will draft him Thursday.

He has met with or been connected to a number of teams, including the New England Patriots, New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, during the lengthy predraft process. He was also part of the Washington Commanders' trip to Topgolf with multiple other prospects, which he told ESPN's Kevin Clark "was one of the cooler visits I've been on."

Yet through all the visits, rumors and interviews, the chance to go through it with other prospects is what stood out the most for the North Carolina product.

"I think the biggest thing to me was just how much I got to be around the other guys and how cool they were," Maye said. "That's the best part about this process, you get around these guys who have a chance to be rookies in the NFL, and we're all going through the same thing. The only people in the world doing that. So getting the chance to share some of these experiences and check in on each other has been an awesome experience."

Ideally for teams near the top of Thursday's draft, Maye and the other quarterbacks will be updating each other on plenty of NFL success for years to come.