Rival Views: Baker Mayfield as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft
TAKE TWO: Should Wyoming QB Josh Allen go No. 1 overall?
Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate about whether Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield should be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft as mocked by Pro Football Focus.
FARRELL'S VIEW
I like Mayfield and he’s going to be a terrific NFL quarterback, but No. 1 overall is a bit too high for me. Late first round? Sure. Second round? A steal. But No. 1 overall with Josh Rosen out there?
I like Mayfield better than Josh Allen and Sam Darnold because he’s a gamer and he reminds me of a poor man’s Aaron Rodgers, but I don’t think you should take a risk on him at No. 1 with Rosen available.
Mayfield isn’t very big and that’s just one knock. His arm strength is solid but not off the charts and there are some off-field question marks as well. If you’re the Browns and you have to get this pick correct, he’s just too risky for me.
Someone will get a good pick out of Mayfield late in round one. He’d be better off with a winning team that doesn’t need him to be a savior right away.
GORNEY'S VIEW
Cleveland did not win a single game this season. The Browns scored a league-low 234 points. That's pitiful. Obviously, what Cleveland is doing is not working at all.
Taking Rosen or Allen could begin a slow turnaround for an NFL franchise that has been in the basement for years, but to really jumpstart things, why not take a look at Mayfield?
There is no question he's a highly-competitive player, he put up huge numbers at Oklahoma and he's a winner. Allen is largely unproven against high-level competition and does Rosen even want to play for the Browns? Mayfield is short, yes, but so is Russell Wilson, Drew Brees and others. A smart coach can negate that issue and Mayfield has never really had issues with balls getting batted down.
Why not take Mayfield is the question. It cannot get worse in Cleveland and there is a very real possibility that Mayfield could light a fire under an organization that is slowly rebuilding but still needs a ton of help.
