Baker Mayfield Gives Colin Cowherd a Dose of Reality

Colin Cowherd is in denial.

In response to a deleted tweet that seemed to be about Baker Mayfield, the Fox Sports 1 TV and radio show host wrote on Tuesday that “Marginal size and athleticism isn’t a NUMBER ONE pick. In any draft. In any sport.”

Mayfield shot back: “Well it happened bud. Have a nice day!”

Mayfield has a point.

The Cleveland Browns did, in fact, draft Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He is 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, which means that he’s smaller than the prototypical quarterback. While Mayfield is touted for his mobility, he actually ran a 4.84 40-yard dash and a seven-second 3-cone drill. He has 29-inch vertical leap during the combine.

For context, none of those numbers are particularly good. But of course, that stuff won’t matter if Mayfield can replicate his gaudy college passing statistics in the pros.

That said, the Browns’ selection did come as a surprise to many. The buzz surrounding Mayfield built in the days before the draft with few believing he was genuinely going to be their selection. Sam Darnold (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) was pegged as the favorite to go No. 1 overall. Mayfield and the Browns proved them wrong.

Mayfield likes proving people wrong. He keeps a digital record of all the media members that have been critical of him, and he uses those criticisms to fuel him. (Consider this Cowherd tweet documented.) So this feisty response from Mayfield is and likely will be typical for the quarterback in his hopeful ascent to stardom.