Cleveland Browns potential draft target: Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield

The Cleveland Browns have the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft and need a quarterback. Can Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield be the answer the team is looking for?

The Cleveland Browns made NFL history in 2017 by becoming the first team to earn the No. 1 overall selection in the draft for two consecutive years.

Now that the Browns have that pesky detail out of the way, they can turn their attention to what will occur once they are officially on the clock the night of April 26 in Arlington, Texas.

More than likely, general manager John Dorsey, a noted “football guy,” will use that top pick on a quarterback as he becomes the latest front office member to take on the task of fixing the team’s quarterback issue.

While not everyone has declared just yet, the choices facing Dorsey will include UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, USC’s Sam Darnold and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.

Browns fans can get a look at Mayfield on Monday when he leads the Sooners against Georgia in the Rose Bowl, which will kick off at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy this year after leading Oklahoma to a 12-1 record and a spot in the college football playoffs. A fifth-year senior, Mayfield completed 71.9 percent of his passes this season for 4,240 yards, 41 passing touchdowns (and five more on the ground) while only throwing five interceptions.

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That alone seems like it should be enough for Mayfield to be at the top of many draft boards, but there are questions about his height – he may just barely be over six feet tall – his maturity and the fact that he played in the Big 12, which continues to vex talent evaluators when it comes to projecting NFL success.

But there is no doubting that Mayfield brings a level of excitement to the field and has a penchant for coming up big at the right time. He embarrassed Ohio State in Columbus by ripping up the Buckeye defense for 386 passing yards and three touchdowns, and beat TCU twice by throwing for 576 combined yards and seven touchdowns without an interception.

A big game on Monday against the Bulldogs, followed by another one in the National Championship Game, and Mayfield can quiet some of his critics, at least until the Scouting Combine.

In a draft where all the top quarterback prospects have questions, Mayfield may be the most polarizing of the group. Either you love his swagger and his big-play ability, or you take one look at him planting a flag at midfield after beating Ohio State and label him a “punk.” There seems to be no middle ground when it comes to Mayfield.

We’re still five months away from the draft, so there will be plenty of time to break down Mayfield’s game in the coming months.

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In the meantime, Monday afternoon’s Rose Bowl will be another chance to see what Mayfield can do on the big stage

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