We finally got a chance to see Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield in action on Thursday night in the preseason opener against New York Giants.
Mayfield, the first overall pick in 2018 NFL Draft, took the field towards the end of the first quarter and threw away the football. This certainly made the Browns front office and coaching staff nervous, but the 23-year-old remained calm after the mistake. He then went on to complete 11 out of 20 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns and seal 20-10 win over the Giants.
Baker Mayfield looked great on the field and convinced that the Browns didn’t make a mistake by drafting him. He showcased all the talents that made him the No.1 overall pick including his arm strength, mobility, and ability to make the right decisions under pressure.
While some people were caught by surprise with Mayfield’s ability, his coach Hue Jackson didn’t expect anything less.
“I thought he did some good things, I’m not surprised by anything Baker does because I see him do it on the practice field,” – said Jackson after the game. “Obviously, the throws he makes, the poise he has, he demonstrated all of that in college so I’m not surprised by it.“
The rookie quarterback, on the other hand, was more critical of himself, focusing on the areas where he can get better.
“Did some things well, but there’s definitely room for improvement,” – said Mayfield. “It’s good to get it out there early to where you can work on that and make sure it doesn’t happen again and then I’m happy with where we progressed, you know we got into a little rhythm.“
Although this is just one game, it looks like Cleveland Browns have their quarterback of the future in Baker Mayfield. And Browns’ fans deserved to have a franchise quarterback after years of suffering, that’s for sure.
