Baker Mayfield Talks About the ‘Scrutinizing’ NFL Draft Process for a Top QB

The draft is the gateway to the NFL for hundreds of aspiring athletes each year. And 2018 first overall pick Baker Mayfield knows better than anyone else the true value and magnitude of this life-altering event.

Like any other top-rated prospect, Mayfield was scouted by NFL franchises well before his professional career took off. Baker Mayfield started off his college football career as a walk-on for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The QB though soon made the switch to Oklahoma to play for the Sooners. A decision that reaped multiple rewards in the end as he went on to become a unanimous All-American and a Heisman winner in 2017.

But success also brought along the pressures of being a highly rated QB prospect. Rookie QBs with high ceilings are often one of the most sought after players in the NFL Draft.

Mayfield’s case was no different. And thus scouts, GMs, and coaches, all followed Baker’s every move closely. A scrutinizing process as said by the quarterback himself. 

Baker Mayfield reflects on his draft experience 

Recently while talking to The Ringer, Mayfield talked in detail about what it felt like to be a highly sought after rookie QB prospect. Explaining how detailed the entire process is Mayfield gave fans an insight into what he described was an interview-like process.   

“I just think you know the details, the background checks these teams go through. Finding out stories from when you’re in middle school. Just to kind of find out who you are as a real person. Like your real character. Because it’s an interview process,” said Mayfield.

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Talking about how there’s no way to hide, Mayfield said that teams always figure out a way to know the truth.

“You can say one thing and if you don’t mean it, teams will find out. Like they always have a way of finding the truth out.”

Leading up to the draft, Mayfield said that he felt he was in a good place and that he knew he had done all he could to help his case.

“I think mentally I was in a good place. Because I did everything I could during these interviews and workouts. Then leading up to the week of the draft, there’s nothing else I could do at that point to improve my stock,” the Browns QB said.

“Everything was already in place. It was out of my control. So I kind of just, relaxed on that tried to enjoy being around family and friends. But it’s a very scrutinizing process, that’s for sure,” he added.

With the league set to induct a new set of players in the 2021 NFL Draft, which QB from the current QB class do you feel will have the biggest impact?

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