There is 'serious buzz' about stunning No. 1 overall pick in NFL draft
With the NFL draft only two days away, the Cleveland Browns have been mum about what they’ll do with the first overall pick.
Media speculation and mock drafts have focused mostly on three players: quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Josh Allen, and running back Saquon Barkley.
But a surprising new name has emerged that will delight some fans and worry others: Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Dustin Fox of WKRK-FM in Cleveland and The Athletic said Tuesday there’s a legitimate chance the Heisman Trophy winner will be the No. 1 pick.
“I’d heard over the weekend there’s some serious buzz with Baker to the Browns,” Fox said on CBS Sports’ “Pick Six Podcast.” “I heard last Thursday it was down to Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield to the Browns, which is sort of surprising.”
Dan Patrick said the same thing on his radio show Monday.
Dan Patrick on @dpshow citing a source who told him #Browns are choosing between Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen for No. 1 pick echoing what @DustinFox37 has said. Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold off the board.
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) April 23, 2018
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added to the buzz Tuesday, saying an unidentified NFL executive told him the Browns are “definitely” considering Mayfield at No. 1.
Just to add a bit more murkiness to top of draft: one NFL executive said this morning that Baker Mayfield is “definitely” in Cleveland’s conversation to become the No. 1 overall pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2018
If Cleveland is deciding between Mayfield and Allen, the differences are stark.
Allen has the physical stature (6 feet 5, 237 pounds) and big arm of the prototypical NFL quarterback, but accuracy is a problem — he never completed more than 56 percent of his passes as a starter at Wyoming. Allen is viewed as the ultimate boom-or-bust pick.
Mayfield, meanwhile, is short for an NFL quarterback (under 6 feet 1) but was one of the most productive and decorated signal callers in college football history. He completed over 70 percent of his passes in his junior and senior seasons, throwing 83 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions, and led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season.
In addition to concerns about his height, Mayfield also faces questions about his maturity. His antics with the Sooners — including grabbing his crotch and shouting profanity at the opponents’ sideline — have drawn comparisons to another cocky-and-short Heisman winner: Johnny Manziel, the Browns’ first-round pick in 2014, who was out of the league after two seasons.
Fox has a message for Cleveland fans who are worried about history repeating itself.
“I think Baker is a hell of a player; he’s polarizing,” he said on the podcast. “And some people don’t like that, especially in Cleveland because of what happened with Johnny Manziel. And I think fans are sort of snakebitten because of what happened with Johnny and feel like the comparisons are so similar that they’re scared of it.
“I’ll say this: There are some comparisons, but the ones that matter I don’t think are there. They’re so different on the field. They’re not the same quarterback on tape. They’re both very … outgoing, confident guys who are a little bit short and white and play in a similar system and won the Heisman Trophy. But I think that’s sort of where the comparisons start and stop.”
The Browns, who acquired Tyrod Taylor from the Bills last month, have started 28 different quarterbacks since their rebirth as a franchise in 1999. We’ll have to wait until Thursday night to find out whether Mayfield will add his name to the list.
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