The Heisman Trophy winner is the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall by the Browns since Tim Couch in 1999. John Dorsey calmly explains a pick that shocked a lot of people.
BEREA Sam Darnold was the safe pick. Josh Allen had the Big Ben body.
John Dorsey's gut, among other things, told him to roll the dice on little Baker Mayfield. The general manager who was fired by the Chiefs after last year's draft ignited his Cleveland era by spending a No. 1 overall pick on the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from Oklahoma.
The pick was greeted with shock by many. Dorsey clearly loved it, portraying it as an obvious choice in tones of strength and equanimity.
"He was the best of that bunch, in my opinion," Dorsey said 70 minutes after making the move. "What separates him is, he's hungry. He really wants to be a great football player, and he's going to be a great NFL player."
At 6-foot, 5/8 inch (2018 Combine measurement), Mayfield is three inches shorter than Darnold, who went at No. 3 overall to the Jets. The Giants, drafting at No. 2, plucked running back Saquon Barkley. With their pick at No. 4, the Browns stayed on the short side, taking 5-foot-10 7/8 Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward.
Head coach Hue Jackson didn't back off his stance that he likes his quarterbacks 6-2 and taller.
"Baker is an outlier," Jackson said from a seat next to Dorsey. "He's a really good outlier. This guy is as good a quarterback, statistically, as there has been."
Until the 11th hour, Darnold was the consensus choice to go to the Browns at No. 1. The prospect of taking Mayfield was met with varying degrees of disbelief. Prior to the selection, WKNR host Aaron Goldhammer said he would "eat poop" if Mayfield actually became the pick.
After the pick was in, Goldhammer announced on the Browns' AM flagship, "I will eat the poop."
Browns fans everywhere hope the Mayfield pick will prove to be easy to swallow.
Dorsey raved about his leadership traits.
"He is revered by any teammate he ever had," Dorsey said…
Mayfield was nowhere close to the top of Mike Mayock's top 100. NFL Network's lead analyst pegged Mayfield as the 22nd-best player available in the draft, a haunting reminder of ill-fated Browns QBs drafted at No. 22. They were Brady Quinn in 2007, Brandon Weeden in 2012 and Johnny Manziel in 2014.
Among quarterbacks, Mayock had Mayfield behind No. 7 Darnold and No. 21 Josh Rosen. The Cardinals picked Rosen at No. 10, three spots after Buffalo took Allen by trading up.
Gil Brandt, a personnel guru who has received Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration, had Rosen as the No. 2 overall prospect, Darnold at No. 3 and Mayfield at No. 4.
Brandt tapped into some of what the Browns saw in Mayfield:
"He's a Drew Brees lookalike in terms of height, speed and accuracy. He had a few bad moments on the field, but he's not a bad person. He's a sharp player with the arm strength needed for success. He will compete, work hard and be a long-term starter."
Mayfield came close to a fabulous 2017 regular season. The only blemish was a loss to an Iowa State team piloted by former Perry High School athlete Matt Campbell and former Massillon QB Kyle Kempt.
Otherwise, Mayfield's Sooners went 12-1, propelling them into the national semifinals against Georgia. There, Oklahoma fell to Georgia, 54-48 in double overtime.
Mayfield's best victory came at Ohio State on Sept. 9. After he passed for 386 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-16 conquest, he ran to the middle of the Ohio Stadium field and planted an Oklahoma flag.
Mayfield's new Browns teammate, Ohio State's Ward, shrugged off the incident.
"I respect Baker," Ward said. "He's a good player. We knew he was definitely a mobile quarterback and we might have to stay on guys longer in coverage."
The flag-planting was not a particularly popular move among many Ohioans.
Dorsey obviously doesn't hold Mayfield's brash streak against him, portraying Mayfield's persona as an asset.
"When he comes here and talks to you guys tomorrow, you will see how mature he is," Dorsey said. "He really wants to be here. He was practically in tears."
Mayfield reminds Dorsey's mentor, Ron Wolf, of Brett Favre. Favre was Wolf's most famous acquisition, leading to both getting to the Hall of Fame.
Mayfield embraces the comparison. Before the draft, he arranged a picture mimicking a famous 1991 photo showing Favre among friends and family as he fielded a draft call.
Dorsey was a young Packers scout when Wolf brought Favre to Green Bay in a trade.
"Does Baker Mayfield remind me of Brett Favre?" Dorsey said, smiling and pausing. "Baker Mayfield reminds me of Baker Mayfield."
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP