Berea, OH (92.3 The Fan) – It’s not often that a Brows first-round pick seems to suck the wind out fans sails.
But that’s what happened when pre-draft buzz became reality and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Baker Mayfield as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft Thursday night.
For Mayfield it was a dream come true.
“Hearing your name get called or getting that phone call is a moment I’ll never forget,” Mayfield said as he was introduced Friday afternoon alongside the Browns’ other first-round pick – Ohio State corner and Nordonia High School alum Denzel Ward. “There’s so many emotions and thoughts that run through your head in such a little timeframe. You think about the work ethic, and just the journey to get to that one moment in time.”
For Browns fans, the pick was somewhat stunning with many worried that the Browns put their fate in the small hands of another undersized quarterback with a big personality.
But Mayfield isn’t the least bit worried about winning fans over.
“I think winning the game will take care of winning them over,” Mayfield said.
The Browns are counting on Mayfield to save football in Cleveland.
“I think they will definitely embrace Baker because he is a competitor and he loves to win," Ward said. "Once we start winning, of course they will embrace him.”
Having won just 20 games combined over the last 5 years and experienced 15 double-digit loss seasons and soon to be 29 different starting quarterbacks since the team returned in 1999 has had a traumatizing effect on one of the largest and most loyal fanbases in the NFL.
Mayfield is ready for the challenge.
“I did genuinely want to come here,” Mayfield said. “This is a franchise that traditionally is great. They have a great history, and these fans deserve a team that has success. You want to be the guy to lead that. That is just human nature. You want to be that person. For me being as competitive as I am, the bigger the challenge for me, the better for me.”
Mayfield has never shied away from a challenge in his life be it walking on at Texas Tech, then Oklahoma or recovering from injury to win 33 games as a starter for the Sooners and award after award, including the Heisman trophy.
“To me, it is a mentality of never giving up. That goes beyond competition. That goes into life in general," Mayfield said. "It does not matter that cards you are dealt but what you do with those cards. Never complain. Just keep pushing forward. Find the positive in everything and just fight for it.”
He also rolled into Columbus after the Buckeyes blew them out the previous season at home and planting a flag at midfield following an emotional victory at The Shoe.
"You guys forget that they came to Norman and whopped up on us," Mayfield joked when asked about what became a controversial celebration.
It was just one of several controversies off the field that tarnished Mayfield's reputation. He promises to stay true to himself, while not crossing the line like he did a few times at Oklahoma.
“I’ll be very competitive, but the other stuff, obviously it can’t happen,” Mayfield said. “I know that.
“There’s a fine line. You need to be competitive, but a lot of that you can internalize and use that as motivation to drive you. You don’t have to show it all the time."
The Browns vetted their selection and they chose Mayfield over Sam Darnold, who went third to the Jets, Josh Allen, who went seventh to Buffalo, and Josh Rosen, who went 10th to Arizona.
The pressure is on for Mayfield to the best in the class and not another massive miss in the draft.
“They are all very talented guys. There is a reason that they were all in the discussion to be picked No. 1 overall,” Mayfield said. “For me, I do view it as a competition. It doesn’t end there. My journey is just now starting. Not satisfied. I have not played a down yet. Moving forward, you set big goals in the future, but you have to work and accomplish small ones along the way.”
