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QB Film Room: Baker Mayfield


Buffalo716

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Baker Mayfield is very polarizing. He has always been a sleeer and that fuels him. Coming out of HS being a state champion in Texas he had only 3 D1 offers. Florida Atlantic, Rice and New Mexico. Baker Decided to double down on his own talent and walked on at Texas Tech. What happened next? Well he only earned the starting job as a True Freshman 

 

Overview

 

The Sooners Slinger,Baker Mayfield, is listed at 6'1 220 but I suspect he's closer to 5'11, maybe 6'. That doesn't stop Mayfield from dominating on the field though. 

 

A knock on Baker over the years is that he doesn't exactly have a strong arm. Sure, he's a smaller guy, it's believable. But put on the tape. Baker has shown over and over that he can spin the ball 60 yards in the air... off his backfoot. Doesn't sound weak to me

 

Baker has a nice release and throws with very good timing. What sets him apart from most of his peers is his advanced level of touch on throws to all levels. 

 

Mayfield throws a very catchable ball with good ball placement. He routinely gives his receivers the chance for YAC and big plays 

 

underrated athlete who can move inside and outside the pocket. Throws very well on the run

 

Baker is a fierce competitor and players play hard for him. He has a gunslinging attitude and is not afraid of the big moments. Carved up Ohio State like a thanksgiving turkey 

 

Baker really needs to clean up his consistency at the next level. His field vision is inconsistent and he must fix that to continue his development 

 

He also has spotty lower body mechanics. As I said earlier , he can spin it 60 yards backfoot... key word backfoot. If Baker was more consistent with his lower body mechanics his arm talent will rise even more. 

 

Baker can get happy feet in the pocket and leave too early at times. He gets away with it in college but must refine his game in the NFL

 

Will need to continue to develop his game under center since he spent most of his time at OU out of shotgun

 

STRENGTHS

 

-Fierce competitor

-Throws very catchable ball

-Good accuracy to all levels

-Advanced levels of touch 

-underrated athlete

-underrated arm strength 

- can maneuver inside and outside pocket

-Throws well on run 

-Good football IQ

-Works the seams

-Good ball placement 

-throws with great timing

-Difficult to Sack

-Playmaker

-Will throw receivers open

 

NEGATIVES

 

- Lower Body mechanics need work

-Inconsistent field vision

-Can get happy feet in pocket

-Didn't play many top defenses 

-Shorter than ideal

-needs work on maturity 

-can he stay in pocket?

-Needs work under center

-Transition from OU offense to NFL

 

 BOTTOM LINE

 

Baker Mayfield has had a year for the ages. Before the season I didn't think much of his NFL prospects. His development as a QB has changed all that. Outside of Rosen and Darnold their isn't a QB in the draft who throws with as good of timing, touch, and accuracy as Mayfield. If you are willing to look past his size,  Mayfield has Advanced levels of touch and accuracy which should land him somewhere in the first round 

 

GRADE

 

83.9 (High end starter)

Edited by Buffalo716
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9 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

This is our guy, hope the Bills figure that out.

 

 

 

I have always been a harsh evaluator. I usually harp on the negatives more than the positives. I nit pick everything 

 

but i really really struggled to come up with a laundry list of negatives for Baker. even what he does bad, by his standards, is better than a lot of prospects 

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Just now, Buffalo716 said:

 

I have always been a harsh evaluator. I usually harp on the negatives more than the positives. I nit pick everything 

 

but i really really struggled to come up with a laundry list of negatives for Baker. even what he does bad, by his standards, is better than a lot of prospects 

 

Do you hear about who team's like and if so what do you think the Bills think of Mayfield?

 

 

2 minutes ago, Ittakestime said:

If this team doesn't draft Baker based on "character" I think that would be it for this regime for me.  Off the field character isn't going to win you games.

 

As much as I would hate not taking Mayfield, McDermott has this team going in the right direction and will fill out this team in the draft and free agency.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

Do you hear about who team's like and if so what do you think the Bills think of Mayfield?

 

 

 

Yea I hear a bunch of talk and rumors about which teams like who.

 

I haven't heard many rumors about Baker to the Bills but I do know for a fact that the Bills did go to a few OU games this year to scout

 

I would've been watching Baker like a hawk

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2 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

Yea I hear a bunch of talk and rumors about which teams like who.

 

I haven't heard many rumors about Baker to the Bills but I do know for a fact that the Bills did go to a few OU games this year to scout

 

I would've been watching Baker like a hawk

 

Hopefully they stay right to the vest  and take him when no one expects it.

 

I wonder if all this talk that they don't like him is coming from media or are they putting out smoke screens?

 

 

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43 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

Baker Mayfield is very polarizing. He has always been a sleeer and that fuels him. Coming out of HS being a state champion in Texas he had only 3 D1 offers. Florida Atlantic, Rice and New Mexico. Baker Decided to double down on his own talent and walked on at Texas Tech. What happened next? Well he only earned the starting job as a True Freshman 

 

Overview

 

The Sooners Slinger,Baker Mayfield, is listed at 6'1 220 but I suspect he's closer to 5'11, maybe 6'. That doesn't stop Mayfield from dominating on the field though. 

 

A knock on Baker over the years is that he doesn't exactly have a strong arm. Sure, he's a smaller guy, it's believable. But put on the tape. Baker has shown over and over that he can spin the ball 60 yards in the air... off his backfoot. Doesn't sound weak to me

 

Baker has a nice release and throws with very good timing. What sets him apart from most of his peers is his advanced level of touch on throws to all levels. 

 

Mayfield throws a very catchable ball with good ball placement. He routinely gives his receivers the chance for YAC and big plays 

 

underrated athlete who can move inside and outside the pocket. Throws very well on the run

 

Baker is a fierce competitor and players play hard for him. He has a gunslinging attitude and is not afraid of the big moments. Carved up Ohio State like a thanksgiving turkey 

 

Baker really needs to clean up his consistency at the next level. His field vision is inconsistent and he must fix that to continue his development 

 

He also has spotty lower body mechanics. As I said earlier , he can spin it 60 yards backfoot... key word backfoot. If Baker was more consistent with his lower body mechanics his arm talent will rise even more. 

 

Baker can get happy feet in the pocket and leave too early at times. He gets away with it in college but must refine his game in the NFL

 

Will need to continue to develop his game under center since he spent most of his time at OU out of shotgun

 

STRENGTHS

 

-Fierce competitor

-Throws very catchable ball

-Good accuracy to all levels

-Advanced levels of touch 

-underrated athlete

-underrated arm strength 

- can maneuver inside and outside pocket

-Throws well on run 

-Good football IQ

-Works the seams

-Good ball placement 

-throws with great timing

-Difficult to Sack

-Playmaker

-Will throw receivers open

 

NEGATIVES

 

- Lower Body mechanics need work

-Inconsistent field vision

-Can get happy feet in pocket

-Didn't play many top defenses 

-Shorter than ideal

-needs work on maturity 

-can he stay in pocket?

-Needs work under center

-Transition from OU offense to NFL

 

 BOTTOM LINE

 

Baker Mayfield has had a year for the ages. Before the season I didn't think much of his NFL prospects. His development as a QB has changed all that. Outside of Rosen and Darnold their isn't a QB in the draft who throws with as good of timing, touch, and accuracy as Mayfield. If you are willing to look past his size,  Mayfield has Advanced levels of touch and accuracy which should land him somewhere in the first round 

Excellent write up. Terrific post.

 

It also should be noted that every year he has improved. In addition, his teammates love him and rally around him. 

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Just now, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

Hopefully they stay right to the vest  and take him when no one expects it.

 

I wonder if all this talk that they don't like him is coming from media or are they putting out smoke screens?

 

 

 

I would assume it's the media. They try to put 2 and 2 together. McDermott is a no nonsense kinda guy and Baker doesn't exactly fit that

 

but what they don't report about Baker that fits McDermotts mold is his work ethic, his drive, and ability to sacrifice to win

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2 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

Hopefully they stay right to the vest  and take him when no one expects it.

 

I wonder if all this talk that they don't like him is coming from media or are they putting out smoke screens?

 

 

The Mayfield surge is not a secret. What the Bills know about him is what every other team in the league knows about him. If you want him you will have to reach up to near the top of the draft to get him. In my opinion whatever the cost is well worth it. 

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1 minute ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

I would assume it's the media. They try to put 2 and 2 together. McDermott is a no nonsense kinda guy and Baker doesn't exactly fit that

 

but what they don't report about Baker that fits McDermotts mold is his work ethic, his drive, and ability to sacrifice to win

 

Exactly, you can see how much the game means to him and how he has worked his butt off to get where he is.

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

Yea I hear a bunch of talk and rumors about which teams like who.

 

I haven't heard many rumors about Baker to the Bills but I do know for a fact that the Bills did go to a few OU games this year to scout

 

I would've been watching Baker like a hawk

 

 

...need your expertise bud.....maybe it's nothing, but it seemed odd that Beane PERSONALLY scouted Rudolph in the October WVU game and his bowl game.....from what I'm reading, he should be available at 21/22 when Bflo picks or even lower.......what if he is their "safe yet unsexy" pick in that range?.......what is your assessment?.....much appreciated...

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2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The Mayfield surge is not a secret. What the Bills know about him is what every other team in the league knows about him. If you want him you will have to reach up to near the top of the draft to get him. In my opinion whatever the cost is well worth it. 

 

I would trade up too.

 

But then you hear jim  Mora say he is a second rounder, so it makes me wonder where he is really ranked amongst GMs?

 

 

Just now, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

 

...need your expertise bud.....maybe it's nothing, but it seemed odd that Beane PERSONALLY scouted Rudolph in the October WVU game and his bowl game.....from what I'm reading, he should be available at 21/22 when Bflo picks or even lower.......what if he is their "safe yet unsexy" pick in that range?.......what is your assessment?.....much appreciated...

 

We don't need safe , we need the best. Time for this team to get the guy.

 

 

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1 minute ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

I would trade up too.

 

But then you hear jim  Mora say he is a second rounder, so it makes me wonder where he is really ranked amongst GMs?

 

 

In my opinion he is a top ten player, or even higher. This is a high demand position so it is going to ratchet up the demand. Anyone who thinks he is a second round pick is a crackpot who should either be laughed out or ignored. 

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3 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

 

...need your expertise bud.....maybe it's nothing, but it seemed odd that Beane PERSONALLY scouted Rudolph in the October WVU game and his bowl game.....from what I'm reading, he should be available at 21/22 when Bflo picks or even lower.......what if he is their "safe yet unsexy" pick in that range?.......what is your assessment?.....much appreciated...

 

I will be doing a report on Mason Rudolph as well. I am not finished with it yet but I will say I would be more confident with Rudolph over say Josh Allen .

 

He has played a bunch of games and gotten better yearly. He has good size and a good arm and I think he will go in the first 2 rounds. I think he'll definitely be there at 22

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10 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

I would trade up too.

 

But then you hear jim  Mora say he is a second rounder, so it makes me wonder where he is really ranked amongst GMs?

 

 

 

A lot of Execs and GMs and Lead scouts have him around 25-40 on their big board 

 

so a fringe first, early second round guy...

 

BUT

 

the adage is that you always draft a QB a round early so you don't lose him...

 

this squarely put Baker in round 1 IMO and it shouldn't be over thought

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Just now, Buffalo716 said:

 

A lot of Execs and GMs and Lead scouts have him around 25-40 on their big board 

 

so a fringe first, early second round guy...

 

BUT

 

the adage is that you always draft a QB a round early so you don't lose him...

 

this squarely put Baker in round 1 IMO

 

Sweet, this makes me feel much better about getting him. Let me guess they don't like his height and "character" .

 

 

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16 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

I would trade up too.

 

But then you hear jim  Mora say he is a second rounder, so it makes me wonder where he is really ranked amongst GMs?

 

 

 

We don't need safe , we need the best. Time for this team to get the guy.

 

 

 

....BUT....BB, is this gang riverboat gamblers with draft capital or do they go safe and unsexy?........I'd bet safe....what is your take?.....

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7 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

....BUT....BB, is this gang riverboat gamblers with draft capital or do they go safe and unsexy?........I'd bet safe....what is your take?.....

 

They have made a ton of bold moves so far, I've got to conclude they will continue to do so. I believe that they traded to get all those picks so they had the draft capital to get a QB and fill out this team.

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

They have made a ton of bold moves so far, I've got to conclude they will continue to do so. I believe that they traded to get all those picks so they had the draft capital to get a QB and fill out this team.

 

 

 

 

...as Grandma always said, "no guts no glory....no bawls no blue chips Sonny".......she was NEVER wrong...RIP......:thumbsup:

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17 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

Sweet, this makes me feel much better about getting him. Let me guess they don't like his height and "character" .

 

 

 

Yea a lot of people think he's really undersized.

 

ive never met him but people who have say he 6'0 max. Old school scouts and execs literally refuse to put him top 10-15 on their boards because that

 

i haven't completed a full big board with all positions but I believe Baker will firmly fall around the top 20 overall 

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Just now, Buffalo716 said:

 

Yea a lot of people think he's really undersized.

 

ive never met him but people who have say he 6'0 max. Old school scouts and execs literally refuse to put him top 10-15 on their boards because that

 

i haven't completed a full big board with all positions but I believe Baker will firmly fall around the top 20 overall 

 

It's all coming together now, right coach, right GM, made the playoffs and now our franchise QB, man I can't wait,  it's been a long time  since we have been contenders.

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

Yea a lot of people think he's really undersized.

 

ive never met him but people who have say he 6'0 max. Old school scouts and execs literally refuse to put him top 10-15 on their boards because that

 

i haven't completed a full big board with all positions but I believe Baker will firmly fall around the top 20 overall

If you believe a qb prospect will be a franchise qb and you don't have a franchise it doesn't matter where the player is ranked on your board. You seize the opportunity to get the player. With respect to that position if you are going to make a mistake drafting it should be for doing it sooner rather than risking losing the player later. 

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35 minutes ago, JohnC said:

If you believe a qb prospect will be a franchise qb and you don't have a franchise it doesn't matter where the player is ranked on your board. You seize the opportunity to get the player. With respect to that position if you are going to make a mistake drafting it should be for doing it sooner rather than risking losing the player later. 

 

Of course.

 

i also said that the football adage is to draft a QB a round earlier so you don't lose him

 

I rarely will put a QB top 5 or 10 on my board unless he's a rare guy. But by my adage Baker could go top 10 and it's warranted if he's your guy 

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Mayfield is not my favorite prospect. I don’t care about his “character” which I think is overblown (seriously, who cares). I think his size is going to be a major factor he is going to need to overcome in the NFL. It won’t be like it was in college where a lot of shorter QBs are able to find passing lanes in wide open offenses and the windows he is pushing the ball into are much wider. He is not the athlete Russell Wilson is. His best physical comparison may be Drew Brees, who I think was also a better athlete. And it took Brees several years in the pros before he really became a good QB. 

 

I get why a lot of people on this board have him as their 1st, 2nd or 3rd best QB. He has a great story, and put up great stats each year at Oklahoma. But I think you also have to look at the reality - you are drafting a player who will likely be the shortest and least athletic player on the field at all times. It’s a gamble that I don’t think you win often.

 

However, I would gladly draft him at our first round pick hoping that he can defy the odds. His arm strength is quite good, his release is nice, he can read the field very well and knows when and how to push a throw. His stats were the way they were this year because he would pass up on the easy, open throws and make the harder (though still usually relatively open) downfield throws with accuracy. Mentally, he is a great QB (I always love when a QB can play great at two different schools like Russel Wilson did, because it shows they can grasp offenses quickly and adapt well to different cultures). And at 21, you draft Mayfield on the upside that he will learn to overcome his physical limitations and thrive within NFL offenses. If he does - and he has overcome a lot before - you have a franchise QB. Because his arm is that good and his mind that good.

 

Right now tho, I see a guy that even in college needed to move away from his pocket to find space so he could see the field better. He uses his slipperiness to get away from defenders that I’m not sure he will be able to get away from when they all have NFL speed. And so, I have him lower on my QB want list than many others here at TBD. But if the Bills draft him, I’ll think we have a chance at a franchise QB. Because all he needs to overcome is his height. And he has overcome a lot before

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On 1/17/2018 at 6:42 PM, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

They have made a ton of bold moves so far, I've got to conclude they will continue to do so. I believe that they traded to get all those picks so they had the draft capital to get a QB and fill out this team.

 

 

 

Thats exactly what I think.  Plus any word in the media as to which QB they like, is def a smoke screen.

 

The only valid clues are who they scout live at games like beane has done for darnold, rosen, and rudolph. If its between rudolph and mayfield, i hope we trade up for mayfield.

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I don't like his mechanics and size, I don't consider his attitude to be a problem as it's not a "me" attitude but a "we" one.  However I don't think he is worth trading up for and would only take him if he falls into our lap since you won't get much better upside at 21 than him.

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On 1/17/2018 at 6:14 PM, Buffalo716 said:

 

 

but what they don't report about Baker that fits McDermotts mold is his work ethic, his drive, and ability to sacrifice to win

Any coach would welcome a player with those attributes. Too much has been made, by fans and media, of his “character.” He’s had one off field incident that I’m aware of & as someone who was known to get trashed and rowdy as a youngster, I don’t fault him that.

 

His on field incidents are all related to one thing, will to win. I’ll take that every day, especially Sunday!!!

 

Thank you for the in-depth analysis 716.

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56 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

What are your thoughts on this... clearly it can be developed further but cuts a bit into his readiness as an nfl prospect pertaining to accuracy 

 

 

I do agree that Baker  has thrown a lot of screen passes and shovels 

 

but it i do not think it masks accuracy deficiencies.

 

Baker is legitimately accurate at all levels and throws a great ball. But he does throw a good amount of screens... but so does Mason Rudolph and Josh Allen

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5 minutes ago, K-9 said:

QBs struggle when their rhythm is disrupted? Who knew?! Ground breaking analysis.

 

Are you referring to that article right above?

On 1/23/2018 at 12:31 PM, Cripple Creek said:

Any coach would welcome a player with those attributes. Too much has been made, by fans and media, of his “character.” He’s had one off field incident that I’m aware of & as someone who was known to get trashed and rowdy as a youngster, I don’t fault him that.

 

His on field incidents are all related to one thing, will to win. I’ll take that every day, especially Sunday!!!

 

Thank you for the in-depth analysis 716.

 

Any time bud

 

and we were all young and stupid at one point. On the field Bakers teammates and coaches love him

 

ill take him twice on Sunday's 

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5 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

Like their is 1 QB alive who doesn't  get flustered when you knock him out of rhythm lmao

Right? 

 

Hey, I bet you had no clue that decision making has to be quicker inside the red zone because the field is shorter and more congested. That article was chock full of groundbreaking insights.

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1 minute ago, K-9 said:

Right? 

 

Hey, I bet you had no clue that decision making has to be quicker inside the red zone because the field is shorter and more congested. That article was chock full of groundbreaking insights.

 

Lmao 

 

i thought the same exact thing 

 

the actual title of the article should be Football for Dummies 101

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Great write up on Mayfield.  I hope you don't mind if I comment with some of your conclusions.  In your negatives you listed three things I disagree with.  Actually two I disagree with and one I don't think is as important at you may.

 

-Inconsistent field vision - watch the tape and you will see his eyes are always down field.  Even when he scrambles his eyes are up.  He is certainly guilty of bypassing shorter route for down field plays but when you lead the nation in accuracy on long passes it's kinda hard to ding him too hard for that.

 

-Needs work under center  - Absolutely accurate...but, while I am looking for 2017 stats, here are some interesting numbers on 2016. According to Tru Media Networks ( a company chaired by Tony Kahn, Jag's owners son), 78.9% of passing plays started in shotgun.  When talking about Tom Brady's injury it was mentioned that he operates out of the gun over 70% of the time.  Does Mayfield need more experience under center yes, but the NFL is changing.

 

-Didn't play many top defenses  - this one drives me crazy because people have just adopted the narrative as true without actually looking at the numbers.  Please forgive the length of this reply but I am a numbers geek.

 

I did an analysis on the six games for each QB against the highest ranked defensive teams faced. So here is the data. Each teams defense ranking is in (##)

Sam Darnold: Record 4-2: W vs Stanford (35), W vs Texas (30), W vs Utah (39), L vs ND (31), W vs Stanford (35) L vs Ohio St (16). Average defense team ranking 31.
Josh Rosen: Record 3 - 3. L vs Stanford (35), W vs Colorado (75), W vs Oregon (82), L vs Washington (5), L vs USC (60), W vs Cal (80). Average defense team ranking 56.
Baker Mayfield: Record 4 - 2. W vs Ohio State (16), W vs TCU (15), W vs Texas (30), L vs Iowa State (27), W vs TCU (15), L vs Georgia (6). Average defense team ranking 19.

So Mayfield faced the stiffest defenses in their toughest six games, he and Darnold had the same W/L record and Rosen faced the easiest competition and fared worse in W/L. Every one of the six Mayfield faced were ranked in the top 30 defensively, Darnold had 2, Rosen had only 1 with three others ranked 75 or worse!

That's the team numbers. How did the QBs perform?

Darnold 62.6 Completions. 14 TD/6 INT (2.33 td/int ratio), 330 YPG, 152.97 rating
Rosen 62.9 Completions. 12 TD/4 INT (3.00 td/int ratio), 306 YPG, 142.95 rating
Mayfield 68.9 Completions. 16 TD/2 INT (8.00 td/int ratio), 310 YPG, 180.92 rating

So what does this tell us? Far superior numbers by Mayfield against tougher competition that either other 2 QBs.

I am not saying Mayfield is a sure fire NFL star. What I am saying is given the body of work for each of these three, there is no reason to believe he is far, if at all, behind the other two as a NFL prospect.

 

If I had to take one of the top three, I take Mayfield every time.  BTW - I did not include Josh Allen in this analysis given his awful completion % in a small conference and his 0-3 record against Power Five teams with 0 TDs and 8 INTs.  He is not the same conversation for me.

 

Edited by CritMark
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