Share
Sports

Browns kick off quarterback rush with 1st pick

Share

With the first overall selection of the 2018 NFL draft Thursday night, the Cleveland Browns selected Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The Browns, who have started 28 different quarterbacks since their rebirth as a franchise in 1999, hope Mayfield will finally give them an elite starter at the position. He might have to wait a little while for the opportunity, though: The team acquired Tyrod Taylor in the offseason, and the former Bill will likely begin the season behind center.

Mayfield, 23, posted elite numbers at Oklahoma, notching 119 touchdowns to only 21 interceptions while completing 69.8 percent of his passes as the Sooners starter. He also tacked on 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a freshman at Texas Tech.

The incredible statistics helped Mayfield lead his teams to a sterling 39-9 record in games he started. It was all capped off with Mayfield’s sublime senior season wherein he earned a Heisman Trophy and carried Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

But while the numbers and accolades are undeniable, there are several other issues that make Mayfield such a tantalizing high-risk, high-upside prospect.

Trending:
Prince Harry Named in Major Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Against Rapper

The first, and perhaps least significant, issue with Mayfield is his size. He measured out at 6 foot 1 and 215 pounds, which is somewhat slight for an NFL quarterback. While injuries were never a particularly big issue for Mayfield in college, nobody knows how his body will hold up over a 16-game season, especially if he ends up playing behind a poor offensive line.

However, those fears can be somewhat assuaged by the fact that NFL star quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Drew Brees are both shorter than Mayfield and still excel at the highest level. Brees is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, and Wilson’s career trajectory is pointing in the general direction of Canton.

The other issues? Those are a little more worrisome.

A quarterback is the CEO of any football team. That means aside from doing their job, quarterbacks are also expected to responsibly represent their “brand” or team.

Do you think this was a smart pick?

Mayfield has fallen short of that mark on a few noted occasions.

Whether it’s planting the Oklahoma school flag on the Ohio State football field after a big win or grabbing his crotch to taunt some trash talkers on a lowly Kansas football team, Mayfield has found himself having to publicly apologize on more than a few occasions.

That being said, those incidents could just as easily be chalked up to over-competitiveness as much as general immaturity. Ask any football mind and they would all take a player who is too competitive over one who is not competitive enough.

Mayfield’s more worrisome incident came when he was arrested on public intoxication and fleeing charges in February 2017.

Related:
Doctor Breaks Down Jayden Daniels' Elbow in Viral Pic that Has Fans Worried

Quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel and Ryan Leaf end up on police dashboard camera videos. You would never see a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning in a similar situation to Mayfield’s.

But that’s honestly the highest possible compliment to Mayfield. His floor might be worryingly low, but his ceiling is so, so high.

As the man who’ll be shouldering all the baggage and hopes of one of the more moribund NFL franchises in recent years, fans had better hope their team just nabbed the next Russell Wilson and not the next JaMarcus Russell.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.
Birthplace
Hawaii
Education
Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, Korean
Topics of Expertise
Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech




Conversation