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Jets FB has unique insight on Darnold, Mayfield
Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have more in common than the future hopes of their respective downtrodden franchises.
From their mobility in the pocket to accurate right arms, the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in April’s draft aren’t as different as their personalities might make them seem. Just ask Jets fullback Dimitri Flowers, who has spent training camp a locker down from Darnold after playing by Mayfield’s side for three years at Oklahoma.
When he watches Darnold, there are times he gets flashbacks to his college days and witnessed Mayfield’s magic en route to the Heisman Trophy and a berth in the College Football Playoff last year.
“I’d say they are very similar,” Flowers, an undrafted free agent battling incumbent Lawrence Thomas to make the team, told The Post this week. “They’re both playmakers, make great plays, can both use their feet really well.
“They’re both, honestly, very levelheaded. Once they get in that football mode, they’re kind of the same. They’re competitors and they want to win. … I’d say Baker is a little more out there, his personality. But on the field, there’s really not a lot of [differences].”
Flowers said he sees in Darnold the same leadership qualities he saw in Mayfield, though the two QBs go about their business in different ways. Mayfield is louder, and shows more emotion — such as attempting to plant the Oklahoma flag on the Ohio State logo at Ohio Stadium to punctu- ate a big road win — and Darnold is quiet by comparison. Flowers wouldn’t call him reserved. He just isn’t as outgoing as the boisterous Mayfield.
“Kind of the same way, honestly, he gets along with everyone, talks to everyone,” Flowers said. “He knows everybody in the building.”
Their roles will likely be different this year. Darnold is considered the heavy favorite to win the Jets’ quarterback competition after starting the past two preseason games, and Mayfield will back up Tyrod Taylor in Cleveland. Still, in the years to come, the two will be compared as the top two quarterbacks selected from a loaded draft class.
And Flowers has had the rare opportunity to play with both.
“It’s definitely something crazy,” said the fullback — the son of former edge rusher Erik Flowers, a firstround pick of the Bills in 2000 who played five seasons in the NFL, including stints with the Texans and Rams.
Dimitri Flowers teamed with Mayfield for three years, reaching the playoff twice and was part of three Big 12 champions. More than Mayfield’s ability on the field, his attitude off it is what Flowers will remember the most.
“Just his charisma [is what stood out],” the 6-foot-2, 248-pound Flow- ers said. “We had such a great team. There were so many great leaders. Baker really held it all together, how he carried himself. On most teams, the leader is the quarterback. When you have guy that can relate to everybody, get along with everyone, it makes [everything] go a little easier.”
In a similar vein, Darnold has impressed teammates and coaches alike as much with his brain as his strong right arm. He’s picked up a new offensive system faster than most could’ve imagined and proven capable of reading defenses at an advanced rate for a rookie. Missing the first three days of training camp while the Jets and his agent hammered out a contract had little to no impact.
“He knows what everybody’s doing on the field and that’s the most impressive thing to me,” Flowers said. “It really started [at] rookie minicamp, started with the base stuff and, from there, he kind of ran with it.
“If I ever have questions with the playbook, I’ll talk to him, ask him about certain things. It seems like he knows what he’s doing at all times.”
It was a surprise that Flowers went undrafted. As a senior, he scored nine touchdowns and was a factor catching the ball out of the backfield, with 26 receptions for 464 yards, which could give him an edge on Thomas, a converted defensive lineman. And he obviously has the experience edge at the position.
“Just my versatility [is important],” he said. “Obviously if I’m going to make this team, I’m going to have to do a lot of different things. That’s really what I’m focused on.”
Flowers said he hopes he gets to create some of the same everlasting memories with Darnold as he did with Mayfield. But if he doesn’t stick with the Jets, he plans to follow both players. He expects them to do great things.
“Absolutely, it’s going to be very interesting. They’re both great players,” Flowers said. “It’s going to be fun to watch them in the future.”