Baker Mayfield drew a lot of comparisons to Johnny Manziel when he was coming out of college at Oklahoma two years ago, and many of them were unfair. Still, the Oklahoma product ruffled enough feathers that NFL teams probably had tougher questions for him than the average first-round talent. Mayfield says that resulted in a terrible pre-draft experience for him.
In his recent interview with Clay Skipper of GQ, Mayfield recalled the way NFL teams grilled him in the weeks and months leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft. He appreciated the opportunity to be able to speak for himself, but he described the process as “sickening.”
“Oh, God, it was sickening,” Mayfield said. “‘What were you thinking when you got arrested? What were you thinking when you played Kansas and grabbed your crotch? Are you gonna mature?’ Blah blah blah.
“If I could see the future, I’d tell you what’s gonna f—ing happen. But I think that was the best part about that process. I got to answer those questions for the first time, instead of the media putting it all out there. I got to answer it and say it in my own words.”
Mayfield was arrested in 2017 and eventually pled guilty to charges related to public intoxication. He also drew criticism for making inappropriate gestures and taunting opposing fans, and he made national headlines for planting an Oklahoma flag on Ohio State’s field logo after the Sooners’ upset win over the Buckeyes. Mayfield told GQ that he found it “just jaw-dropping” that Oklahoma officials made him apologize for the flag stunt, and he didn’t mean a word of the apology.
In addition to proving he is capable of playing at a high level in the NFL, Mayfield has already shown he is not Manziel. He’s still a polarizing figure who might make headlines for controversial reasons, but the Manziel comparisons were unfair. The Browns are probably patting themselves on the back for being able to see the difference despite how poorly their decision to draft Manziel turned out.
