The NFL draft is now less than a month away. And as NFL GMs and fans alike attempt to make their player rankings, there's always a couple of
I know what you're thinking. Baker does get attention, so he's not really that overlooked. I'll agree with you to a point, that is to say, that Baker has gotten plenty of attention for his activity while he's not on the field. Yes, I remember the Kansas game.
Yes, I know that he was arrested on 3 charges in February of last year. The Johnny Manziel comparisons are scary but unwarranted.
Allow me to explain why.
Let's first understand the similarities between the two Quarterbacks. They both had several off-the-field issues in college. They are both on the short side, and they're both white. They both won the Heisman. Are we done? I understand that the first similarity I mentioned is a big one.
It's important, and it shouldn't be overlooked. But the mental makeups of Manziel and Mayfield is the tell-tale sign as to why these two aren't the same quarterback.
Let's first go through Johnny Football's college career. 2 seasons at Texas A&M in which he improved on just about every stat except interceptions. Everything points towards a guy that can play high-level football, and you better believe that Johnny can.
But one column I look at is games started. Johnny Manziel, a scholarship player, started all 13 games in his two seasons as an Aggie. I'm sure he worked hard, but he was incredibly talented too.
When you get used to being the golden boy, you might start taking success for granted.
Baker's journey hasn't been that way. He started 8 games his freshman season as a walk-on at Texas Tech. He didn't play that well, but well enough to win the starting job at the beginning of the season. Then, he transferred to Oklahoma without telling Bob Stoops (Oklahoma coach at the time) or anybody else in the program.
He showed up, and guess what? He won that starting job too. He went on to win Big12 offensive player of the year that season. He came in 3rd that year in the Heisman voting. I could go on and on, but you probably know what he did next.
2017 was an incredible year, a year in which he won every award imaginable, including the Heisman Trophy.
The point of me telling you this is to say that there's something inside Baker Mayfield that these other guys just don't have. Josh Allen and Sam Darnold are guys that look great at things like the NFL combine.
And maybe they will be great quarterbacks in this league. But you can't ever count out heart or straight up
They've been that #1 guy, the golden arm destined to make the NFL. Sometimes, the only person that's believed in Baker is, well, Baker. And that means more than everyone else combined.
