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New York Jets were also looking his way, but the winless Browns made Mayfield the surprise No.1 draft pick
By Arnie Leshin
Just to clear up some things about Baker Mayfield.
After being one of Texas’ finest high school quarterbacks his senior year, Mayfield took his time deciding on where he’d bring his talent, and when he finally chose Texas Tech, it was out of athletic scholarships and two of them went to two other Lone Star State quarterbacks.
So Mayfield walked on. He wanted to play, and if he couldn’t get a free ride, he would just fill out the admissions information and prepare for his freshman season in college. His high schools grades were good, now he wanted to show just how good he was while paying his way to Tech.
In addition, he now had a chip on his shoulder, wanted to be the starting quarterback, and in game four, he got that chance. The junior starter had not played well, and one of the other freshmen got one, two chances, didn’t impress, and in came Mayfield.
After being named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, he decided to transfer to Oklahoma, and when Sooner nation didn’t have any scholarships to offer, he walked on there, too.
That meant he twice walked on, and both times he proved that he was a winner, that he not only ran a option offense, but displayed a strong arm and quick feet. Not fast, just decisive.
Two years at running the show for Oklahoma, Mayfield and the Sooners had lost only three times. His junior season, he took his team to a bowl game.
This past campaign he paved the way to the playoffs, the college Final Four, where Oklahoma lost in double overtime to Georgia.
It was Mayfield’s college finale. As a junior, he was good enough to be among the Heisman candidates invited to the event. He finished third. But this year No.6 was at the top of the heap, handily winning the prestigious award.
He also showed his emotions following the tough setback to Georgia at the Rose Bowl. He sat by himself and let the tears flow. He wanted to win, and the next stop would be the NFL.
Says Mayfield: “I had to overcome a lot of things, but with that, I’ve inspired a lot of people. There’s much more to offer than just a game impact and I always love and live life to the fullest.”
To relate to the incident when Kansas came to Oklahoma, the huge Wildcat defensive lineman refused to shake Mayfield’s hand after the coin toss. When Mayfield approached him, he quickly took his own hand away and mumbled something.
Mayfield got a laugh out of this. Kansas was one of the worse programs in the Big 12, and when Mayfield passed the Sooners to a 3-touchdown lead, and when some Wildcat fans started to boo him, he quickly grabbed his crutch. A mistake, yes, and he didn’t do it again.
Then there was the game at Ohio State. Mayfield and company showed up to avenge the Buckeyes dominating win at Oklahoma the previous year.
Well, Mayfield took over the field in Buckeye nation, and when it was over and the Ohio State faithful was still filing out, Mayfield took hold of the Ohio State pole and sped to midfield to plant it in on the Buckeye logo as his teammates watched and cheers.
When questioned about this, he quickly answered he was doing the sam0e thing that they did in Oklahoma last year. But that also became history.
To flash ahead to the college draft, Mayfield was always mentioned behind the likes of Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold and Josh Allen. He was said to be picked as low as 11th, and some had him as high as third.
But in the final days leading up to the event, Mayfield gained strength, jumped ahead of the rest and was expected to be picked as perhaps the first round, No.3 pick of the New York Jets.
No way, said the Cleveland Browns, the first team to start the draft. Leading to this night, the winless Browns had never mentioned Mayfield, and most everybody looked to Darnold, Rosen and Allen. Surprise, it was Mayfield as the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Cleveland added Mayfield to its long, lengthy list of quarterbacks through the years. None of them impressed, now it’s all left to Mayfield.
He’s at a bit over 6-feet, but it doesn’t matter. He sees well over the linemen, is a tremendous leader, can throw short and long, and might be the answer for the Browns and their faithful fans. As for size, he says he’s not small, just built differently.
No more grabbing his crutch, no more sticking the pole into the other team’s logo, and perhaps he still carries the chip on his shoulder, but he’s a winner and plays like one.
Everyone likes to own their own opinion, but some teams know which quarterback would benefit them the most and chose Mayfield. At least the Jets were able to pick the 6-3 Darnold out of USC, and now they have about 5-6 players at that position.
Allen, from Wyoming, was selected by the Buffalo Bills as the 7th pick. Rosen, from UCLA, was taken by the Arizona Cardinals as the 10th pick. Lamar Jackson, from LSU, was the final pick of the first round and taken as the No. 32 pick by the Baltimore Ravens.
And the New York Giants, with the second pick, snatched the best player in the draft, the 6-feet, 220-pound running back Saquon Barkley.
Great pick. It gives the club a proven runner and receiver to blend in with elite wide receiver Odell Beckham, III, which should provide 37-year-old quarterback Eli Manning a much better offense. Plus, the Giants also drafted several linemen, with the weak offensive line now shaping up.
But give Mayfield credit. Twice a walk on, he was good enough to make the All-America team, good enough to claim the Heisman Trophy, good enough to lead Oklahoma to the playoffs. And good enough to be selected first in the draft.
And if you are wondering, the school did provide a grant-in-aide free ride for Mayfield midway through his junior season. And now he can go to the bank after he signs with Cleveland.
