2018 NFL Draft: Should Baker Mayfield be first QB selected?

Where will Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield be selected in the 2018 NFL Draft? Depending who you ask, the answer ranges from mid- to late-first round all the way to somewhere in the third round.

While Mayfield is tops among draft-eligible quarterbacks in adjusted completion percentage on deep passes, according to Pro Football Focus (h/t diehards.com), and he’s led the FBS in completion percentage the past two seasons, concerns about his height and maturity have some doubting his pro prospects.

“He may be a (bone)-head or a bad person, but I like the whole package. I like what I see from his talent,” an NFL executive told Yahoo! Sports.

“Mayfield has enough arm strength to make any throw,” the executive added. “His accuracy on the move is very impressive. Now with where the game is going, there’s only so many Tom Bradys and Peyton Mannings (in terms of dropback style). The defenses are getting so fast, you have to survive with your legs and he can.”

While UCLA’s Josh Rosen, USC’s Sam Darnold and Wyoming’s Josh Allen are all projected to be selected ahead of Mayfield, quarterback tutor Rich Bartel believes Mayfield should be the first QB off the board.

“A lot of people screw up the evaluation process by taking a negative and making it a non-negotiable,” Bartel told Yahoo!. “We need to get over the height thing. What we used to think is the prototype is no longer the prototype. He’s proven himself. It’s about cognitive processing, and he clearly can do that.”

One NFL coach, however, compared Mayfield to Russell Wilson, who fell to Seattle in the third round largely because of concerns about his size.

“It’s like buying a house,” the coach said. “Get comparables, and they usually stack up pretty close.”

Wilson's slide has turned out pretty well for the Seahawks, and the coach isn’t overly concerned about Mayfield’s behavioral issues. He did caution, however, "If he’s going to be the face of your franchise, you’ve got to be careful.”

Realistically, there’s a team out there willing to take a chance on Mayfield early in April’s draft.