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Might Cleveland Browns fans turn against Baker Mayfield?

By Elliot Kennel

CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 22: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the bench against the Baltimore Ravens during the third quarter in the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 22: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the bench against the Baltimore Ravens during the third quarter in the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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BEREA, OH – AUGUST 5: Quarterback Baker Mayfield and General manager John Dorsey of the Cleveland Browns talk after practice at the Cleveland Browns Training Camp on August 5, 2019 at the Cleveland Browns Training Facility in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

Did John Dorsey get the right guy?

First overall pick just means is that former general manager John Dorsey figured Baker Mayfield was good enough to play quarterback for the Browns. That’s all.

Did he get the right one?

Well, with 20-20 hindsight, Lamar Jackson would have been a great answer, but truthfully few evaluators at the time were willing to opt for a non-pocket passer at the top end of the draft. So congratulations to the Ravens for being so smart, and they do have the dominant offense in football right now. But it is understandable why Dorsey did not want to pull the trigger on Jackson at first overall. In fact, neither did 30 other NFL teams.

Dorsey could only have drafted the players who were available. The consensus “Big Four” pocket passers in 2018 consisted of Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold,

Now that it’s all over, would you trade Mayfield for any of the other three? For what it’s worth, Mayfield is graded significantly higher than the other three by Pro Football Focus. Josh Allen is graded as the 30th best quarterback in the NFL and Colin Cowherd’s boy Slingin’ Sam Darnold is right behind him at 31st according to Pro Football Focus. Rosen is actually ranked lower than Dorsey’s 2019 undrafted free agent, David Blough who graded 33rd.

Cleveland made the right call based on what was known at the time. Thank you, John Dorsey, you didn’t screw it up.

Crabby Browns fans could be upset that the team did not get a top five-pocket passer in that draft. Well, was there one available? You can only draft the players that were actually in the draft.

Even if Baker Mayfield’s just an average starting quarterback in the NFL, he is very, very valuable (like $25 million a year valuable) and was well worth the first overall pick. If he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, this is a $35 million dollar per year proposition.

So if Mayfield is not atop the leader board in quarterback stats, it is no need to panic. He’s still developing. Let’s see how good he is at age 28.

The process went way wrong for Tim Couch, who the Browns also selected first overall in 1999. They immediately placed him in charge of the historically bad expansion team which subjected him to a barrage of sacks in a dysfunctional offense.

Still, he led the Browns to the playoffs in 2002, though he suffered injuries that prevented him from playing at the same high level ever again. Couch’s achievements were truly remarkable, but the expectations of fans, writers, and the coaching staff went haywire. Consequently, Couch appears on many all-time bust lists and it is totally wrong. How did that happen?

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