For those of us who’ve followed the career of Baker Mayfield, the following statements we’re about to share won’t be a surprise whatsoever. The Oklahoma product is highly confident in his own abilities, and he believes he’s the best quarterback in the upcoming draft.
“I am. I believe I am,” he said in an interview with the New York Post. “That’s not any disrespect to the other guys. I’ve always had confidence, and I think I’m more than capable of doing everything and more.”
Though, the quarterback would argue that he’s not cocky — just confident.
“No, I’m confident, I wouldn’t say cocky,” he said. “I don’t have it all figured out. If I was Tom Brady, then we would maybe have a different conversation, but he doesn’t have that mentality, so that’s what makes him great.”
Speaking of Brady, Mayfield was asked who he would want to learn from if he had the chance. Not surprisingly, he’d pick the GOAT.
“Tom Brady, no doubt,” he said.
Mayfield almost assuredly will see other quarterbacks taken before him in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft. He’s not tall enough, some believe. And others point to his “character” issues as a reason he shouldn’t be taken too high.
All this is going to do is make the already gargantuan chip on Mayfield’s shoulder grow as he enters the NFL. And quite honestly, that’s probably really bad news for all the teams that chose not to take him.
If he does fall, we know of at least one team that already features a short quarterback that would love the chance to bring him in and make him the next big thing. Time will tell how it all unfolds. In the meantime, we’ll continue to wait on pins and needles to see how the current crop of quarterbacks develop in the coming years.