With Baker Mayfield heading to the Panthers ahead of the 2022 season, quotes from Carolina’s offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo in 2018 resurfaced about the team’s new quarterback.
In ‘18, Mayfield entered the NFL draft as a top quarterback prospect after starting three seasons at Oklahoma. Although McAdoo wasn’t on a coaching staff that year, he still scouted the quarterbacks and made his own assessments.
After watching the Sooners quarterback, McAdoo told the New York Post at the time that he liked the quarterback as a person, but thought he lacked some professionalism in his game.
“He’s got an edge to him, I like that. He’s gonna lead, they’re gonna follow him,’’ McAdoo said in 2018. “I didn’t see a lot of pro-style football in his college tape. And if you’re short you have to be able to make up for it some way, somehow, and personality doesn’t do that. I didn’t think he was a great athlete. This guy is kinda like a pocket quarterback that is short and with small hands, that’s what I worry about.”
McAdoo ranked Mayfield the sixth quarterback in the 2018 draft class. The Browns still selected Mayfield No. 1 in the draft.
Despite what the now-Panthers offensive coordinator said about Mayfield four years ago, now he will be working with the quarterback after he spent four years starting for the Browns. McAdoo will have a chance to help Mayfield improve on some of the weaknesses he noted back when he was a rookie.
Mayfield struggled for the most part in his four-year career in Cleveland, only finishing with one winning season in 2020. That year, he led the Browns to their first playoff run since 2002.
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