Browns roll the dice on No. 1 Baker
BEREA, Ohio — New Browns general manager John Dorsey boldly planted a flag atop the NFL draft, and the name of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was emblazoned on it.
The Browns selected Mayfield first overall Thursday night, choosing the reigning Heisman Trophy winner as their quarterback of the future over the other top-ranked passers in this year’s class, Southern California’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Wyoming’s Josh Allen.
It’s a decision almost no one outside of the organization saw coming until the past few days.
Known for a brash personality and competitive fire teammates rally around, Mayfield is the fifth quarterback picked in the first round by the Browns during their expansion era and the first one to be selected earlier than No. 22 overall since Cleveland took Tim Couch at No. 1 as an expansion team in 1999.
This offseason, Browns coach Hue Jackson has repeatedly declared trade-acquisition Tyrod Taylor will be the starting quarterback for the Sept. 9 season opener at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Mayfield vowed last month at the NFL scouting combine not to settle for a backup job anywhere.
Coming off records of 1-15 and 0-16 under Jackson the past two seasons, the Browns have started 28 quarterbacks since their rebirth in the eternal quest for a long-term answer Dorsey is betting Mayfield will provide. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Dorsey has known for six weeks he would choose Mayfield at No. 1.
Mayfield finished his career with a record of 33-6 as the starter at Oklahoma, where he walked-on after doing the same at Texas Tech and later transferring to join the Sooners.
Operating almost exclusively out of shotgun in three seasons at Oklahoma, Mayfield completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 12,292 yards and 119 touchdowns with 21 interceptions and rushed for 18 touchdowns. Last season, he completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns with six interceptions and rushed for five touchdowns.
“He’s a bright-eyed guy, very passionate about football, can speak the language. He demonstrated the things that we are looking for in a quarterback,” Jackson recently told ESPN’s Josina Anderson, who’s embedded this week at Browns headquarters in Berea.
Despite Mayfield’s remarkable collegiate resume, Dorsey is going out on a limb by selecting him at No. 1 because the quarterback from Austin, Texas, lacks prototypical height — he’s 6-foot 5/8 and 215 pounds — and there are questions about his maturity and attitude.
As a result, Mayfield has been fighting comparisons to former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel throughout the predraft process. Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in 2014, partied his way out of the league in just two seasons.
Mayfield was arrested Feb. 25, 2017, after he ran from police while under the influence of alcohol and got tackled by an officer in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He later pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges: public intoxication, disorderly conduct and fleeing.
Mayfield, 23, also raised eyebrows last season by planting a flag on the field after a victory at Ohio State and grabbing his crotch while directing expletives toward his opponents from the sideline at Kansas.
Yet, Dorsey repeatedly defended Mayfield’s character throughout the pre-draft process.
“You guys in the media always try to create the narrative of this guy, that he’s like something he’s not,” Dorsey said April 19 during a news conference. “I mean, we said that back at the Senior Bowl. Just meeting with him, he’s a pleasant fella. He’s pretty sharp. He’s fine. I have no problems with him.”
Mayfield joins Manziel, 5-11 3/4, as the seventh quarterback who’s 6-1 or shorter to become a first-round pick since 1970. Michael Vick, listed at 6-foot and 210 pounds during his playing days, was drafted first overall in 2001.
Rex Grossman (No. 22, 2003), Cade McNown (No. 12, 1999), Jim McMahon (No. 5, 1982) and Clint Longley (No. 1, 1974) are the others on the list.