2018 NFL Draft: Baker Mayfield reportedly 'squarely in play' for Browns' No. 1 pick - CBSSports.com

The 2018 NFL Draft is only about three months away, but there's plenty of intrigue at the top, thanks to quarterback-needy teams and a handful of talented but controversial quarterbacks in this draft class. The Browns, in need of a quarterback since returning to Cleveland in 1999, hold the first domino in their hands, and it's anyone's guess as to which way it will fall. 

The two names mostly bandied about for the top pick have been USC'sSam Darnold and Wyoming'sJosh Allen. But, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports writes from the Senior Bowl, do not sleep on Oklahoma'sBaker Mayfield in that top slot. 

Robinson points to the type of player Mayfield is, and how he might fit exactly in the culture that new GM John Dorsey, who was hired in the middle of the 2017 season, wants to build in Cleveland. 

Mayfield showed up late to the Senior Bowl practice week, but it was because of a family issue, which his mother reportedly having an echocardiogram. Because Mayfield is a lightning rod for controversy, there were some critics who questioned his reason for being tardy. Mayfield roasted those critics and reminded the world he's not "the bad boy, the Johnny Manziel" that some people want him to be. 

The Senior Bowl was still a good week for Mayfield, who checked off the measurement boxes (6-foot-1, 220 pounds, 9.5-inch hands) and drew positive reviews for his accuracy on the field. There were some spots he needed to work on, such as second reads (more from CBS Sports Chris Trapasso live from Mobile here) but Mayfield is a very viable franchise quarterback prospect in 2018's NFL, especially with his quick feet, fast release and pinpoint accuracy to different levels of the field. 

Robinson points to multiple reasons why Mayfield could make sense for Cleveland first overall: ex-Redskins GM Scot McCloughan, a big fan of Mayfield, has been a sounding board for Dorsey in the process; Mayfield's "cocksure 'never out of it' attitude" matches the type of mentality Dorsey wants to build in Cleveland; Mayfield's skillset fits Dorsey's preference for quarterbacks, including his mobility leading to passing plays; Dorsey spent a lot of time with Brett Favre while with the Packers, so he might not be as concerned about Mayfield being a little, ahem, open off the field. 

By contrast, Darnold appears to be an extremely quiet young man. He wasn't at the Senior Bowl -- everyone gets to see him throw for the first time at the NFL combine -- but he has received pretty minimal attention in terms of headlines throughout the season. That's tough to do when you're the quarterback at USC. 

Mayfield isn't definitely going No. 1 overall or anything. Darnold's still in play. You can't rule out a situation where Josh Allen is the pick first overall, combined with the acquisition of a veteran QB (Alex Smith?) to let Allen sit and learn. Even the Browns going in a different direction with the top pick and going quarterback at No. 4 is still viable, although it feels like flirting with disaster to get that aggressive. 

One thing is for certain: after an impressive Senior Bowl week, Mayfield is firmly in play for the Browns with an early selection. 

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