Cleveland Browns: Breaking down Baker Mayfield’s report card

Danny Kanell of CBS Sports has put out his yearly “quarterback-to-school” report cards for last year’s first-rounders. Where does Baker Mayfield grade out amongst the top five quarterbacks from 2018?

Football analyst Danny Kanell has put out his report cards for all five of last year’s first-round quarterbacks. These “quarterback-to-school” grades are indicative of both a prospect’s on-field and off-field ability. The quintet of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson got their grades back on Monday night.

Let’s take a look at how they graded out for Kanell. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen graded as incomplete, and fairly so. Rosen, while he struggled through the majority of his rookie season, was also in one of the worst situations in football. The UCLA product took over for Sam Bradford far too early into the season, and could be traded before the 2019 NFL Draft opens on Thursday night.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen graded as C-, a bit lower than many probably expected. The Bills weren’t terrible last year, and Allen showed promise.However, he’ll need to set his mechanics straight before he can learn to fly and take the Bills to a new level.

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New York Jets Sam Darnold graded as a C, which is mostly dead-on. Despite the promise he showed, he’ll need to bring down the interception count if he wants to stay as “the guy” for New York. Newly-acquired backfield buddy Le’Veon Bell and head coach Adam Gase should help with that. Time will tell.

Lamar Jackson graded as a B-, which is fine for a quarterback who still needs to get his throws down. Jackson has all the potential and mobility in the world, but he needs to throw from the pocket to combat durability concerns. He took the Ravens to the playoffs in 2018, but it’s unlikely that the style of play he showcased as a rookie is sustainable.

Finally, we come to Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who, inexplicably, received two grades from Kanell. Mayfield graded as an A+ on the field and C off the field, so we’ll have to break those down individually.

On the field, Kanell nailed it. Mayfield tossed 27 touchdowns in just 14 games (13 starts) and has given the Browns hope to become legitimate AFC contenders for years to come.

Off the field might be a different story. It’s easy to want to follow the storyline of “Baker Mayfield has off-field issues,” but I implore those who subscribe to that narrative to step back and observe the good Mayfield has done.

In Cleveland alone, Mayfield has been a fantastic teammate and leader. His charity donations to the Providence House for children and families living in crisis have exceeded $100,000, and various other donations have been made along the way.

Around the league, Mayfield is already known as a great teammate and a hard worker. Around the country, he’s helped to design a clothing line to benefit the Special Olympics. Baker Mayfield is a great quarterback, and he might be an even better human being. Both on and off the field, he has been a fantastic leader for the Cleveland Browns, and the Cleveland community as a whole