Baker Mayfield is the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and the player who is been tasked with saving the Cleveland Browns. But — like Ryan Howard in The Office — Mayfield is taking notes.
According to MMQB, Mayfield told Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during the filming of ESPN’s QB2QB that he’s keeping a log of the haters to fuel his fire:
Mayfield is keeping a list of the media members who have crossed a line, he says, and he stores screenshots of offending tweets in his phone. All of it serves as motivation when he’s working out alone, he told Wilson.
Is this surprising? Not even a little bit.
Mayfield has a history of being petty
Long before he was under the microscope as a draft prospect, Mayfield played with a chip on his shoulder in the college ranks. He earned a starting spot at Texas Tech as a true freshman, despite coming to the school as an undersized walk-on player. Then he transferred to Oklahoma, where he won a Heisman Trophy, among many other accolades.
His status as a walk-on provided more than enough me-against-the-world fuel for Mayfield, but he didn’t have to look too hard for more.
Like the time Kansas players refused to shake hands with him before a game in November:
He responded by torching the Jayhawks with three passing touchdowns in a 41-3 win. It included a crotch grab that earned Mayfield a brief benching a week later:
Baker Mayfield on his Johnny Manziel bullshit pic.twitter.com/BnTvhCaNiW
— 5th Year (@5thYear) November 18, 2017
A couple months prior to that game, Mayfield planted an Oklahoma flag in the middle of Ohio Stadium after a 31-16 win over Ohio State. That was likely motivated, in part, by the Buckeyes singing their alma mater in Norman, Oklahoma after beating the Sooners, 45-24, in 2016. Mayfield called that experience embarrassing.
Recently, he’s fired back at a few critics on Twitter.
Like Fox Sports personality Mark Schlereth:
You got it big fella! At least tag me in all your stuff.
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) December 29, 2017
And Cleveland radio host Damon Kecman, who criticized Mayfield for showing up late to the Senior Bowl:
Showing up late? What would you do if your mom had gone to the hospital? Get outta here. Family before myself always.
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) January 23, 2018
So it shouldn’t be shocking to anyone that Mayfield’s drawing inspiration from media members with negative things to say ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Is it a problem?
When MMQB reported Mayfield’s conversation with Wilson, they asked “Is that a healthy way for an NFL QB to live?”
Baker Mayfield keeps a list of media members who have crossed a line. For motivation, he stores screenshots of offending tweets in his phone. Is that a healthy way for an NFL QB to live?https://t.co/B28jYqfdJB
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) March 29, 2018
Yes, there are a couple of dangers with focusing on the hate:
- It can go too far and result in repercussions like it did in his game against Kansas.
- There are other things he could be focusing that energy on.
But is it really the worst thing in the world to have a quarterback who is too motivated to prove doubters wrong? And to Mayfield’s credit, he’s aware that he has to keep his priorities in order. Via MMQB:
“If I was worried too much about it, I’d be worried about the wrong things. But I do use some of it as motivation. I can listen to all the people patting me on the back, or I can listen to the people saying I need to get better. I know I need to get better, or else there would be nobody saying that.”
Mayfield is a unique personality who became the first walk-on to win the Heisman Trophy since athletic scholarships started in the 1950s. Focusing too much on negativity is dangerous for many players, but Mayfield thrives from it. And his teammates love him for it.
The Browns are going to get a player who is determined to prove the naysayers wrong. If that’s a negative, it’s one that Cleveland should be happy to live with.