2018 Senior Bowl: 5 players to watch
By Joe Romano
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
The Heisman trophy winner, Oklahoma Sooner’s quarterback Baker Mayfield will be the biggest name in Mobile the week of the Senior Bowl. He is a polarizing prospect for many reasons and the process of the Senior Bowl will be a big glimpse of what NFL head offices think about his prospects.
People have already knocked Mayfield for his size. It is a big reason he had such an interesting path to Oklahoma before winning the Heisman trophy. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds he does not meet some team’s height criteria for quarterbacks. Many people will point to players like Drew Brees and Russel Wilson when looking at Mayfield, which are fair comparisons based on his size.
For all the knocks on his height, the talented quarterback has proven to be a winner and have the ability to make all the throws. He is a solid decision maker, only throwing six interceptions on 404 pass attempts. Mayfield is also an efficient quarterback, never completing less than 68% of his passes while at OU. @NFLFilmStudy broke down all of Mayfield’s best and worst plays during the playoff game against Georgia.
First touchdown pass, he had to work across his body as Georgia's corner stayed in the flat on Cover 2. Receiver was open. I like how Mayfield resets his body to make the throw. pic.twitter.com/GN98VOvnqx
— Ian Valentino (@NFLDraftStudy) January 6, 2018
In those clips you can see what makes Mayfield so intriguing. He will look best in an NFL offense that utilizes his solid decision making and quick release.
The negatives, outside of Mayfield’s size, are his off the field decision making. This year alone he has had to apologize for a crotch grab on the sideline and planting the OU flag at midfield after beating Ohio State. There is a competitor in him that can bring out the worse off the field.
While some may see Mayfield as a notch below guys like Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold, there are things that he does better than most. In ESPN’s Todd Mcshay’s initial mock draft Mayfield goes to the Los Angeles Chargers with the 19th pick in the first round. If he was two inches taller, with the same game, it would be easy to see him being the run-away first pick in the draft. A week at the Senior Bowl will likely help his stock as he is able to put the off-field issues behind him and show his skills.