Baker Mayfield: From Heisman to top quarterback selected?

Could Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield go from winning the Heisman Trophy to being the top quarterback selected in the 2018 NFL Draft?

The best and most consistently great quarterback — and player in general — in all of college football this season has been Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.

I suppose that is why he’s the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner…

Mayfield is having a season to remember as Oklahoma enters the college football playoff now with at least one, potentially two games yet to play. His statistics entering the postseason?

4,340 yards passing, completing 71 percent of his throws, with 41 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Mayfield has made all the right decisions with the football this season, proving himself to be one of the most accurate quarterbacks we’ve seen in recent memory, and not just on short throws or from a clean pocket.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mayfield is among the most accurate quarterbacks in college football when pressured or when throwing the ball 20-plus yards downfield.

In addition to operating a very pass-heavy offense, Mayfield can sling the ball around the yard and his talent is truly exceptional.

Will that translate to the NFL level?

Mayfield’s consistent improvement as a prospect through the past five years has been remarkable to watch. We know that he has what it takes at the quarterback position from an arm talent perspective. This guy can put the ball on a dime anywhere he wants to on the field.

He is certainly athletic enough to play in the NFL, as we’ve seen him use his ability to run to avoid pressure and make incredible throws outside the pocket as well as pick up first downs and touchdowns on his own.

As a matter of fact, this year Mayfield has five rushing touchdowns but has 21 over the course of his collegiate career. He’s always been a great runner with the football in his hands.

But the best part about Mayfield is not that he has the athleticism to just take off when a play breaks down, it’s that he seemingly knows exactly when to use his escape-ability and when to just climb the pocket and make a throw.

Mayfield is only listed at 6-foot-1, and in all reality he’s probably not that tall, but he’s built like a powerful running back, and has been able to stay healthy throughout his college career despite questions from scouts about his size.

Has his size ever been an issue to this point?

If it has, I haven’t seen it.

No aspect of Mayfield’s game has been lessened by his height, which is why for my money, if Sam Darnold (current QB1) doesn’t declare for this year’s draft, Mayfield is the guy I’m building a franchise around.

He’s rough around the edges at times, but for the most part, this is a football player that you can see his competitive edge every single week, and in every game. People may not like this, but even in the game against Kansas that has now become infamous because of Mayfield’s inappropriate gesture and foul language from the sideline, he was impressive to me.

I want a quarterback that cares that much in a virtually meaningless game, or at least a game that Oklahoma could have probably won without Mayfield anyway. Kansas isn’t a good football team, and Oklahoma was going to win as long as they didn’t turn the ball over every time they had possession.

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But Mayfield went out, took some taunting, and clearly was emotionally affected by some on-field chatter by the Jayhawks defense to the point that he personally boiled over.

Before he boiled over, however, Mayfield took care of the Jayhawks on the field. He threw three touchdowns in Oklahoma’s big win.

Simply put — Mayfield’s competitive nature is something that you can’t just implant into a quarterback prospect. There are certain players that don’t have that type of emotion, and they end up being the type of players that are okay playing well enough to make a lot of money but never win come playoff time.

Mayfield’s on-field fire reminds me of Tom Brady, who doesn’t have to apologize for his craziness on the sideline or on the field nearly as often as Mayfield does.

As Mayfield continues to develop his craft and mature as both a person and a player, I think the sky is the limit. Perhaps some NFL team picking at or near the top of the draft will see that too, and make him the first quarterback selected.

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