Why Baker Mayfield Is The Best QB In The 2018 NFL Draft
March 2, 2018 in Sports News
Baker Mayfield is simply the best quarterback in the 2018 NFL draft class. No other quarterback has hit the heights that Mayfield has hit during his time at Oklahoma.
He’s been phenomenal and consistent with his performances and nobody has been as efficient as he has. From an on-the-field standpoint, the only knock against him is that he isn’t as tall as other quarterbacks.
If Mayfield was 6’3” instead of 6’1” he would be the favorite to be the number one overall pick in the draft. For some strange reason, NFL teams still focus too much on the height of their passers despite the fact that Russell Wilson and Drew Brees (both shorter than Mayfield) have proved that short quarterbacks can shine in the league.
That’s why Josh Allen has been mentioned as a possible number one pick, he has the arm strength, athleticism, and height that NFL teams covet so much. On paper, he’s the perfect prototype of an NFL quarterback.
But looking at the production on the field, none of the other quarterbacks has played as well as Mayfield has over the last few years.
Every single year of his career Mayfield ranked among the lowest in the nation in negatively graded throws. He can make big throws down the field, he’s a good decision maker and performance wise he’s been a better passer than anyone else in this class.
At some point, that production should matter more than physical tools and the components that the other quarterbacks are supposed to have over him. If the Browns do their work and focus on the on-the-field production, they will draft Mayfield first.
Mayfield has some skills that are comparable to Brees’s, which are rhythm, timing, and accuracy. He has a compact delivery that allows him to make tight-window throws through defenders in the red zone and he is also a skilled pocket passer that has proven that can win at any level he’s played so far.
He moves his feet around while he stays in the pocket because he’s not a random movement run-around player. He has the ability to scamper and scramble, but he will only do it if he needs to do so.
Although he needs to polish his game to learn to better deal with pass pressure situations and would benefit from sitting for a year behind a seasoned veteran, Mayfield’s is too talented to pass on and should be taken first overall.