Mayfield enjoying life as a top NFL pick
Baker Mayfield has been a busy man since the Cleveland Browns selected him as the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on Thursday.
Mark Andrews is heading to the Baltimore Ravens.
The former OU tight end was taken in the third round with the No. 86 overall pick on Thursday night — just three picks after the Ravens selected teammate Orlando Brown.
Andrews is the first Sooner tight end drafted since quarterback-turned-tight end Blake Bell was taken by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. He’s the highest picked OU tight end since 2010 when Jermaine Gresham went to Cincinnati with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round.
Andrews, a two-year starter, finished his OU career with 112 catches for 1,765 yards and 22 touchdowns. A unanimous first-team All-American, Andrews won OU’s first Mackey Award after a redshirt junior season where he averaged 15.5 yards per catch and scored eight touchdowns.
Mayfield sticks with 6
For the first time since high school, Baker Mayfield got a chance to pick his jersey number.
Though he said he was starting his NFL career with a clean slate, Mayfield went with an old faithful for his jersey number.
He’ll be wearing No. 6. “I never really picked it,” Mayfield said of the number. “They just gave it to me.”
Before settling on the number to begin his professional career, Mayfield perused the roster to see what other numbers were open. He wore No. 11 at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas but was assigned No. 6 as a walk on at Texas Tech. It’s worked out well ever since.
“I gotta go six,” he said after looking at the roster. “I have to.”
Flag planting follows Mayfield
Back in September, Mayfield infamously planted the OU flag at midfield of Ohio State’s stadium after thumping the Buckeyes 31-16.
Friday afternoon, he was introduced as a member of the Cleveland Browns alongside fellow first-round pick Denzel Ward, a former Ohio State defensive back who was on the receiving end of the flag plant.
Naturally, Mayfield was asked about the Ohio State game.
“You guys forget that they came to Norman and whooped up on us,” Mayfield said. “It’s 1-1, so I’m going to have to get him in practice.”
What did Ward think about the flag plant?
“We got them the year before,” Ward said. “He got us back though with the flag.”
Mayfield appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
What do you do after becoming the top pick in the NFL Draft?
You make your late night talk show debut, naturally.
A couple hours after getting the call from Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey, Mayfield appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to chat with the late night host.
“Are you excited about moving to Cleveland?” Kimmel asked Mayfield. “Speaking of things kids dream of.”
The audience laughed, and Mayfield grinned.
“I am, I am,” Mayfield said. “I’m excited to get things rolling.”
Kimmel, naturally, cracked a joke.
“It is an underrated city,” Kimmel said. “They have a symphony. I’m sure you’re in to that.”
“I’m looking forward to purchasing my ticket to that one,” Mayfield responded.
The two talked for about three minutes on Kimmel’s show, and at the end, Kimmel asked if Mayfield would be able to guarantee a win for Cleveland this year.
“I’m not guaranteeing anything,” Mayfield said. “I’m excited to get things rolling.”
Extra points
After playing on opposite teams at the Rose Bowl, former Georgia running back Nick Chubb and Mayfield are together in Cleveland. The Browns took Chubb with the third pick of the second round . ... Mayfield and Ward threw out the first pitch at the Cleveland Indians game on Friday night, and Mayfield’s pitch was not quite on target . ... Washington drafted LSU running back Derrius Guice in the second round, which may not bode well for OU alum Samaje Perine, who was drafted in the fourth round by the franchise last year.
BROOKE PRYOR, STAFF WRITER