Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield will ‘explode into stardom’

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report selected a few players set to ‘explode into stardom’ and the first player he picked was Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield

Ask any Cleveland Browns fan and they will tell you that Baker Mayfield is already a star. He had a great second half of the season, setting an NFL rookie record despite starting just 14 games.

His star goes beyond the city he plays in too. This offseason, Mayfield was a guest on the James Corden show and appeared on a YouTube comedy special with Kevin Hart. Considering he’s still only got one season under his belt, it would make sense to expect his star to continue to grow.

That’s exactly what Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report is thinking, as he selected Mayfield as his top choice of players “set to explode into stardom” this season.

"“Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 68.4 percent of his passes and threw 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions while posting a 106.2 passer rating in the second half of his uneven but magnificent rookie season. With Odell Beckham Jr. joining his pass-catching corps, Mayfield is primed to explode.” — Gagnon, Bleacher Report"

Gagnon admits that this was an incredibly easy choice as he refers to the unbelievable stretch of football Mayfield played in the final eight games of the year. Once his former head coach went on his infamous media tour, Mayfield started to break out and completed 68.4 percent of his passes with a 19-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

During that span, Freddie Kitchens was his play caller and the two will continue to work together as Kitchens was retained as the new head coach. He also didn’t have a game-changer at the receiver position like OBJ out there making highlight reel plays.

The Browns are quickly becoming contenders in the AFC North, which is a stark contrast from what we have been accustomed to. The more they improve, the more credit Mayfield is going to get and the bigger his already bright star is going to be.