Are 2023 rookie QBs better than 2018 Mayfield?
Brandon Newman and Mike Golic Jr. join Brother From Another to talk about the fallout from the NFL Draft and if Bruce Arians is fair in saying Baker Mayfield was a better prospect than any 2023 NFL Draft quarterback.
Video Transcript
- --draft fallout. We ain't that far removed from the draft. I don't know if y'all saw this, but Bruce Arians-- now Bruce Arians never one to pull punches, never one to mince words-- mince words, cause it like he sees it. I don't know if he's trying to-- because he ain't got to lie to kick it. Baker Mayfield's already on the Bucs right now. Maybe this is an example of loving the one you're with, and building him up, but, Brandon, did you hear Arians say that Baker Mayfield coming out the better quarterback prospect than any of the guys that came out in 2023? And your thoughts on that.
- I love that take. I trust Bruce Arians. I feel like he might know a little bit more than some of us here, but I think that that's fair. To see what Baker Mayfield was able to do on a week's turnaround with the Rams that quickly, and just whatever is going to happen with the Anthony Richards, CJ Stroud, Bryce Youngs of the world, I think it's not that far off to say that a quarterback that has done it, obviously, has more to offer right now. Maybe not on the back end like the rest of these quarterbacks do, but right now, I think I like what Bruce Arians said about Baker Mayfield.
MIKE GOLIC JR: I would say this, I think the importance placed on prospect coming out matters. Now, we remember, Baker Mayfield went the number one overall pick on most people's boards until basically the week of the draft back in 2018, but he was also a Heisman Trophy winner coming out of college. He was a really good, accomplished player. So it's not crazy to say he was in range. I still don't know if I would have put him above Bryce Young.
CJ Stroud, maybe you could have had a conversation because both of those guys are hallmark was-- hallmark was accuracy coming out of college for both of those guys. He does have some hardware in the chest that backs it up. He doesn't maybe have the prototype size closer to what CJ has, but I think prospect, we're kind of misremembering what Baker was coming out of college.
- No, I'm not. No, I'm not. Michael, Michael, because, listen, Michael know I like Baker Mayfield. I think he'll do well in Tampa. I really do. But--
- No, you don't like him. No, you don't. No, no, no, you stay over there. He's ours. Baker's ours. Baker's not yours.
- All I'm saying, Michael--
- Get off--
- But, Michael--
- You don't hear, Baker.
- --I think you'll agree with me.
- You're listening, but you don't hear.
- [? Harley, ?] I think you'll agree with me on this. I don't know what Baker Mayfield did coming out of Oklahoma better than at least two, if not all three prospects. He certainly didn't have-- he a inch taller than Bryce Young, so didn't have the size of Anthony Richardson, and in terms of the ability as a passer and as a processor, I don't know what he's better than CJ Stroud or Bryce Young, respectively, like, I know the Browns drafted him number one overall. Remember, that year was kind of wild in terms of quarterbacks because Allen went a little later.
Lamar went at the end of the first round. So I don't-- I don't know-- Baker Mayfield was decorated and highly touted coming out, [? Harley, ?] but better as a prospect than the three guys coming out, I have to disagree. He might be better next year than those three because they're rookies, but better coming out, I don't think so, [? Harley. ?]
- Yeah, you know, and the thing is, Bruce didn't tell us everything. I believe Bruce Arians says I had Baker Mayfield rated higher than these guys, but did you have Baker Mayfield rated higher than the other quarterbacks in his draft? Did you have him rated higher than Josh Allen? Did you have him rated higher than Lamar Jackson? I don't know. We're not talking like that, but I think his larger point is a great one. Even though I don't disagree with that-- even though I don't agree with it completely, I know what he's trying to say because you remember, he went on to say, hey, look, Tim Couch wasn't a bust. Tim Couch got caught up in Cleveland--
- Right. It was a situation. Yes.
- And I think a lot of quarterbacks--
- And I like that.
- --are like that. Like, just a few years ago, like, we get caught up in the new car-- oh, just drove it right off the lot. Look how great we are. With quarterbacks, just a couple of years ago, we were saying great things about Zach Wilson, great things about--
- No, you were saying great things about Zach Wilson. You--
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
- Brandon, you remember that? Brandon, you remember that?
- Oh--
- Thank you, Brandon. Brandon was--
- Loose on the ground. Loose on the ground with that take.
- He went second. I wasn't the only one. I didn't draft him. I love him, but I didn't draft him. I didn't draft him second. I didn't draft Trey Lance third. I didn't draft Mac Jones 15th.
