Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was the best player in college football in 2017. How will his game translate to the next level and where will he go in the 2018 NFL Draft ?
It will be interesting to see how former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield will fit into the professional setting. In a draft that is full of star talent at the quarterback position, there is a lot of uncertainty as to where Mayfield could fall. Much of that is depends on the needs and criteria of the teams.
Mayfield posted an incredible 4,600 passing yards in 2017 to go along with 43 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He led the Sooners to a national semifinal appearance in the College Football Playoff. While Mayfield’s precision passing and big-play ability was never in question, there are still some looming questions surrounding his game that have his NFL Draft projection a mystery.
Strengths
It is pretty apparent as to what Mayfield excels at. His passing ability is among the best college football has seen in a long time. More specifically- his down-field throwing is his best attribute which differentiates himself from the rest of the quarterback prospects.
In 2017, Mayfield averaged over 11 yards per pass completion, which is even more remarkable considering he nearly had 300 completions on the year. Mayfield finished 2017 with eight games over 300 yards, along with one 598-yard performance against Oklahoma State.
An underrated strength of Mayfield is his mobility and his ability to turn nothing into something. While his deep-throw ability can be compared to someone like Drew Brees, he also shows glimpses of Aaron Rodgers in the way he can escape a pocket and still deliver a dime.
Baker Mayfield @baker_mayfield6 with the 11 yard #TouchDown to Dimitri Flowers @treeflowers36 #Oklahoma #Sooners #SoonerNation #RoseBowl #UGAvsOU pic.twitter.com/JHpFijW1gi
— @540Jason© (@540Jason) January 2, 2018
Weaknesses
There are a few question marks in Mayfield’s game, but serve as things he cannot control. For instance, his height. Listed at just 6-foot-1, Mayfield is relatively short compared to some of the more successful quarterbacks in the league. It is very rare to see shorter players at the position compete in the NFL as a starter, with the most recent being Russell Wilson. Because he is able to use his mobility, Mayfield could get around this challenge. However, not having to use his feet a lot in college could be a problem in jump-starting his career.
Another concern is the ease of throws he had at Oklahoma. The Big 12 Conference is notoriously known for poor defense. Some of the throws Mayfield was asked to make came against big windows. Of course, he made the plays and this is all speculation, but it will interesting to see how he can perform against professional defenses on a consistent basis.
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Draft Expectations
With a heavy-loaded quarterback class, Mayfield could go anywhere from top five to second round based on the scouting NFL teams have done and who they value more. Mayfield has proven he has the passing ability to compete in the NFL and any team that passes him could instantly regret it.
Anticipate a few quarterbacks going ahead of him, pushing Mayfield to a mid-to-late round pick.