Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Cleveland Browns are hosting Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield Tuesday in Berea.
Mayfield’s visit is among the 30 pre-draft visits allotted to teams leading up to the NFL Draft.
It is expected that the Browns will select at quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to be their long-sought after franchise quarterback. Mayfield is confident he fits the bill.
“First thing’s first, they’d get a winner,” Mayfield said March 2 at the NFL Combine about the possibility he could end up a Brown. “I think if anybody’s gonna turn that franchise around it’d be me.”
Browns general manager John Dorsey has made it no secret that he's looking for a winner.
In 3 seasons leading the Sooners Mayfield did just that. He went 33-6 while throwing for 14,607 yards with 131 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff twice.
But there are questions about the 2017 Heisman trophy winner.
Throughout the draft process Mayfield has been candid about who he is as a player and as a person while answering those questions from teams who might be concerned about his character or ability to lead and be the face of a franchise.
“What you see is what you get," Mayfield said. "I’m brutally honest and some people don’t like that because it’s rare nowadays, but I go into these meetings and I’m just myself. I want to get drafted to a team that knows exactly what they’re getting.”
Among the things Mayfield has had to address throughout this process is his run-in with police, planting a flag at mid-field at Ohio Stadium following a win over the Buckeyes and making an obscene gesture from the sideline during a win over Kansas.
“When I got tackled by the cops in Arkansas I tell them the true story. When I talk about planting the flag against Ohio State I talk about the fact that that was an emotional win. That was one we worked for over a year for after they embarrassed us in our home stadium and when I talk about the Kansas thing it’s about me drawing a line and being professional," Mayfield said. “If I want to be a franchise guy there’s certain things I can’t do but I’m also going to still be competitive and passionate. That’s what’s gotten me to this point. I talk about it. I’m up front about it.”
Mayfield also hopes to show that he is the exception to the rule when it comes to size and quarterbacks. He measured 6-foot 5/8 at the NFL Combine drawing comparisons to Drew Brees, Russell Wilson or Brett Favre, who all don't possess the prototypical height teams tend to prefer at the position.
“I’m not trying to be Brett Favre Jr., or the second coming of him,” Mayfield said. “I’m going to be myself and I’m going to be the best to ever play.”
UCLA’s Josh Rosen and USC’s Sam Darnold are expected to visit this week as well and Josh Allen from Wyoming is due in town next week.
