Getty Images Baker Mayfield after the game last week.
This year’s rookie class of quarterbacks has dominated previous selections. With five quarterback’s selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, all five guys are now considered the starters for their respective teams. Now, the season didn’t exactly begin like that, but at this point, every team is focused on the future of their franchises now. And for the Cleveland Browns, they must be feeling excellent about their number one overall pick in the last draft, Baker Mayfield.
Did the Browns finally get it right? After all of those years of reaching and trying to get an actual top pick to turn into a franchise quarterback, Cleveland has found their franchise savior in Mayfield. At first, the Browns were the laughing stock of the draft. How could they possibly pick a quarterback, who seems to resemble Johnny Manziel to the national media? What a joke. Now, Mayfield is getting in the last laugh as he has undoubtedly been the best rookie quarterback from his class.
Is Baker Truly at the Top of His Draft Class?
Mayfield went with the number one pick. Then it was Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson. By now, we’ve seen a good enough sample size for all of these guys to make a judgment on who may be the best for their first year. All of these guys have had shining moments, and all of these guys have looked like rookies at one point. However, according to Pro Football Focus, Baker Mayfield has been in a class of his own at this point.
Baker Mayfield has been a class above the rest of this quarterback class so far.
With a PFF rating of 82.7, Mayfield has been significantly ahead of Josh Allen, who falls second behind him with a grade of 64.3. Right now, Mayfield is completing 64-percent of his passes and has totaled for over 2,800 yards and 19 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Not a bad stat line for the rookie quarterback of the Browns. Will Mayfield win the Rookie of the Year? It’s very well possible. But there are players at other positions who have made a solid case as well.
If a quarterback does get the nod for the award, there’s no doubt it’s going to be Baker Mayfield. Considering that Mayfield has given the Browns life and still has them relevant in the playoff hunt, there’s no doubt that he is currently turning in the best rookie season for a quarterback this year. And from here on out, he’s probably going to just keep on getting better.