Browns take Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward in first round of 2018 NFL Draft

The suspense and drama of the past four months is over.

The question remaining is, “Have the Browns found their quarterback of the future?”

With the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft on April 26, the Browns selected quarterback Baker Mayfield out of Oklahoma.

The pick ended months of speculation of which quarterback the Browns would take after earning the top pick via their 0-16 record in the 2017 season.

Then with the fourth overall pick, the Browns picked Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward, resisting the temptation to pick North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb after the Giants took running back Saquon Barkley at No. 2 and the Jets picked quarterback Sam Darnold at No. 3.

The pick most had their eye on was the No. 1 overall pick, as most figured the Browns would target the person they hoped and planned to be the long-term quarterback of the future.

“We got two quality players here, I truly believe,” Browns general manager John Dorsey said. “With Baker Mayfield what we have here is a guy we’ve talked about — a guy who wins the game of football. He’s ultra competitive. He is revered by his teammates and anyone who has ever been around him.”

Both Dorsey and Coach Hue Jackson said competition in training camp is healthy, but reiterated more than once that Tyrod Taylor — acquired this offseason in a trade with the Buffalo Bills — is the team’s starting quarterback.

The Browns chose Mayfield over USC quarterback Sam Darnold, Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and the rest of this year’s draft class. He said the Browns’ brain trust came to a consensus on April 23 or 24 that Mayfield would be the Browns’ pick.

A shade over 6-feet tall, Mayfield played one season at Texas Tech and three seasons at Oklahoma. He completed more than 70 percent of his passes in each of the last two seasons with the Sooners.

Overall, Mayfield completed 1,026 of 1,497 passes (68.5 percent) for 14,607 yards and 131 touchdowns during his career with the Sooners.

He also threw 30 interceptions.

This past season, his final one at Oklahoma, Mayfield led the Sooners to a 12-2 record and a 54-48 loss to Georgia in a College Football Playoff semifinal. He threw for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns against only six interceptions.

When asked if he sees a facsimile of former Green Bay star Brett Favre in Mayfield, Dorsey responded, “I see Baker Mayfield in Baker Mayfield.”

His height, considered short by NFL quarterback standards, is not a concern. He said Mayfield had fewer batted down passes than any of the other top quarterback choices.

“He has the feet to extend plays,” Dorsey said of Mayfield. “He has really good accuracy. He has a quick release and a strong arm. His efficiency in the red zone is uncanny.

“This was the best fit for this organization going forward.”

In Ward, the Browns got a lockdown cornerback who entered the NFL Draft after three years at Ohio State.

A 5-foot-11, 183-pounder from Nordonia High School, Ward was a first team all-American this past year, when he defended 17 passes, with 15 breakups and a pair of interceptions.

Dorsey said the Browns received a half-dozen or so calls inquiring about trading into the No. 4 slot, but the value offered was not what the Browns wanted.

So Ward was the pick.

“It’s amazing. It’s a blessing,” said Ward of being drafted by his hometown team. “It was my childhood dream to get to the NFL draft. To be drafted by the Browns and get to play there is such a blessing. I’m excited and ready to get to work.”

Ward is the first Ohio State player drafted by the Browns since 2009, when the Browns picked receiver Brian Robiskie in the second round.

He said he knew the Browns were interested in him and “where leaning toward drafting me.”

As Dorsey and Jackson prepared to head back into the war room to plot out the remainder of the draft — the Browns have picks 33, 35 and 64 in the second round on April 26 — Dorsey gave his stamp of approval to what had transpired.

“I couldn’t be happier with the position we are in right now in regard to the acquisition of these two players moving forward,” he said.

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