Baker Mayfield height: Is former Browns QB over 6 feet tall?

Much has been written about the acrimonious departure of Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns to join the Carolina Panthers this season. He was drafted first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft when the Browns were coming off a historically bad season. They had finished 0-16 the previous year and needed Mayfield to set the ship right.

He did so with some panache, setting the rookie quarterback record for passing touchdowns and breaking their 19-game winless streak. In 2020, he led the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and their first playoff win since 1994. It was also their first and, so far, only playoff victory as a reconstituted franchise.

Unfortunately, not all good things last. With his play becoming increasingly patchy and a fallout with management, he joined the Panthers this season. The Browns settled for Deshaun Watson as their new quarterback, trading him from the Houston Texans.

Considering Baker Mayfield's contributions to the Browns and Watson's numerous off-field allegations, this move left a bitter taste for many NFL fans.

However, looking back, why did the Browns draft Baker Mayfield as their savior in 2018? His 6'5/8" frame is not the biggest for a quarterback, standing just a smidge above 6'.

He is not known for exceptional athleticism either. To better understand this decision, we delve further into his career before becoming an NFL player with the Cleveland Browns.

Baker Mayfield's career before NFL

Baker Mayfield was a 3-star recruit out of high school and received a walk-on offer from various colleges, including Texas Tech, where he eventually enrolled. He got his chance straight away due to an injury to the starting quarterback there.

Mayfield earned the Big 12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year for the 2013 season. However, he soon left to join Oklahoma after falling out with the management at Texas Tech. Maybe this was a marker of things to come later in his NFL career.

He lost a year in the 2014 season as his departure from Texas Tech placed him under certain restrictions. However, he won the starting quarterback job in 2015 and burst onto the scene.

He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, totalling 3,700 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and seven interceptions that season. He placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year.

The 2016 season saw him perform even better and he stood one place better, in third, in the Heisman Trophy voting. He also went on to play in the Sugar Bowl and won the MVP award in that game.

The 2017 season saw him finally make big on his promise to win the Heisman Trophy. He remains the only walk-on ever to win the prestigious award. It was his performance in this season that convinced the Cleveland Browns to draft him as their first overall pick.

However, his problematic attitude also came to the fore that season, which is something the Cleveland front office chose to ignore. He twice had to apologize for his actions during games in the 2017 season.

The quarterback once planted a Sooners flag on the Ohio State Buckeyes logo after a win and had to issue a mea culpa for his actions. In another instance against Kansas, he directed expletives at the opposing fans and coaches, earning a reprimand from his own coach.

In hindsight, the Cleveland Browns had no one better than Baker Mayfield to draft that season. He has since repaid the faith by establishing a modicum of winning culture there. However, all the problems with the attitude could have also pointed to the eventual fallout that they had.