ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Baker Mayfield is almost certainly a top-10 pick in next month’s NFL Draft and he’s getting plenty of attention from the two teams in New York. So much so that Mayfield will be back in the area before the draft to work out for both teams.
Metro reported on Friday that Mayfield met with both the New York Giants and the New York Jets at the recently concluded NFL Combine. Between his showing on the field at the Combine where he showed off good mechanics and then reportedly had a series of strong, formal interviews with nearly half the league, Mayfield is beginning to look more and more like a clear-cut franchise quarterback.
And the Giants and the Jets have taken notice. Both teams hold high draft picks – the Giants at No. 2 and the Jets at No. 6 – which could prove to be good landing spots for the talented Mayfield.
Mayfield told Metro that both the Giants and the Jets will have him in for formal workouts before the NFL Draft.
‘I did what I needed to at the Combine. I’m not a guy that will impress you with your tests. When it comes down to the football aspect and the interview process, those will be the important things to me. It went well. I’m happy with where it went right now but I still have my Pro Day and private workouts. I think I put myself in a good position to make the most of my impression,” Mayfield told Metro. “A little bit of that. A lot of it was they were expecting me to be a system quarterback based off the offense we had. But when I’m in there, I was able to pick up information quickly. That’s what they wanted to know – if I’d be able to pick up the information and translate it to other defenses.”
Mayfield spoke to Metro prior to a press conference honoring him for winning the Maxwell Award. Given annually by the Maxwell Football Club, the Maxwell Award honors the top player in college football.
He along with Chuck Bednarik Award winner Minkah Fitzpatrick received their award at a gala event last Friday night at the Tropicana Atlantic City.
The interview process, however, did leave Mayfield smirking a little bit. NFL teams have been known to push the envelope or get a little off the beaten path during an interview so as to gauge a player’s response.
Mayfield said that one interview with a nameless team stood out.
“I had math facts. Honestly 15-to-20 of them quickly. What’s this plus this, minus this? Divide that — which I haven’t done since second grade,” Mayfield said. “It went well but it caught me off guard. Then they dove into football. They want to see what your answer is, how you process it. Then they go into football. They want to see if you can handle the chaos.”
